Challenge
by curly-kitty
Summary: Everyone knew how much the Viking loved a challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- **I do not own any of these characters, CH and AB do. I really wish I owned Eric, but I will have to settle for my sick fantasies of him since I could never afford to buy such perfection.

**A/N- This is just an idea I've had rambling around in my head for a while now. Please let me know if you think I should continue with it or leave it as a one shot.**

**Challenge**

He was so bored. The charm and novelty of having bloodbags knowingly and willingly offer themselves for his feeding and fucking pleasure had quickly worn thin for the Viking Sheriff. They all tasted the same; of despair and desperation held together with a 'healthy' dose of suicidal tendencies.

He hadn't tasted sunshine and life since before the damn revelation. After two years, he was sorely missing it. The simpering pathetic cattle he surrounded himself with in the name of business would do anything he wanted them to. They would gladly humiliate themselves and happily perform any degrading 'tasks' he asked of them, then come back the next night begging for more.

It was all.

So.

Incredibly.

Fucking.

Boring.

Just as he was trying to calculate how many decades of living like this he could bear before he was willing to stake himself just to relieve the tedium, _She _walked through the door. The very thing he was missing and craving, and the last thing he had ever thought to see willingly enter Fangtasia under her own steam.

And she walked in on the arm of Bill fucking Compton.

She was wearing white sundress with red flowers sprinkled across it that looked like blood splatter. The tight dress hugged her curves perfectly and cupped her breasts the way Eric knew he would be doing himself before long.

His fangs itched and his cock twitched.

Her hair was the exact shade of his own, but where his absorbed the darkness in which he abided, her locks seemed to reflect the light of the sun, dispelling any shadows that dared creep to closely. Her skin was tinted and kissed to a warm golden color by the very sun that must worship this lovely girl.

He was certain he would be able to taste the sunlight that rejected him so thoroughly on her soft skin. And he _would _taste her, of that he had no doubt.

He had always known Compton was a fool with delusion as to his own charms and intelligence, but for the man to parade such a delectable creature in front of Eric and think he could possibly retain possession of her...

Clearly the young vampires idiocy knew no bounds.

Unless, of course, he had brought the beauty here as a tribute for his new Sheriff. In which case, Eric _might _be persuaded to forgive Compton for being such a dull and plodding waste of space. Maybe.

Probably not.

Judging by the possessive hand he rested on the girls back and the weak attempts he made to glare threateningly at the other vampires who noticed her- and they _all _noticed her, Eric could hear the fangs snicking down as she crossed the room, she must smell as good as she looked-, she was most likely intended as a tribute.

Wonderful.

Eric loved a challenge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- **I do not own, nor profit from Eric Northman. If I did own him, I would still not profit from it, since I am possessive and territorial and would keep him all to myself.

Chapter 2

Eric continued to watch the woman he had already decided would be his out of the corner of his eye. He knew Pam would come to him soon with information on his little sunbeam. His childe knew him well enough to know he would want this girl once he saw her and Pam would do her part to help. In the meantime, why was she showing pictures to Longshadow? She must be investigating something, he really hoped she wasn't a cop, that would only make things for difficult when he was through with her. But it would help explain why someone as blindingly bright as her would willingly walk into the darkness and gloom of a vampire bar. He already knew she wasn't here looking for the same deadly thrills that drew most of his clientele. But why the hell was she with Compton? He didn't measure up as a man who would be good enough for such a creature, and he sure as hell fell far from the bar as a vampire, so what would a Sunbeam see in him?

She was not acting in the same awe filled and subservient manner as all of Pam's pets did, so thankfully she was most likely not here in that capacity for Compton. She showed no fear at all, which was lucky for Longshadow. Eric would have been very upset had his bartender's attempts at intimidation sent her scurrying for the door. Although her body language spoke of caution and alertness however, he saw no fear at all in the girl.

She took a seat at a booth at the same time a pathetic bloodbag worked up the nerve to approach Eric. The approach would not have bothered the Viking but the fact that the man dared to lay his hands on him without an invitation to do so did. He was kicked across the room for his troubles, and naturally that was the exact moment that the sunbeam first laid eyes on him. He would have felt her gaze even if Compton had not tensed up and sneered at whatever the girl said about him. He could feel the weight of her eyes on him, burning into his flesh and searing his soul. He glanced at the two of them, knowing Compton took notice of his attention, and taking pleasure in the tension and fear the man radiated. Then Pam showed up to give him her report.

"Her name is Sookie Stackhouse, she is twenty-five years old, has no restrictions on her license and lives in the same backwoods town as Compton. She has recently had a lot of his blood but other than that she smells absolutely mouthwatering. She has no visible bite marks and smells untouched. Very, very sweet. Compton calls her his friend and claims to be mainstreaming, she is asking about the two girls on the news who were recently strangled to death." Pam whispered in his ear.

His surprise at hearing about her innocence jerked his eyes back to her. How did someone who looked like she did remain innocent for twenty five years? Were the men in her town blind, or complete fools? Just then there was a lull in the noise and he heard her voice, a sweet alto with the soft tang of a southern belle. "Don't say uh-oh. Vampires do not get to say uh-oh!" He was barely able to contain the smirk that wanted to curl his lips up as he did exactly what Compton was expecting and arrogantly summoned the couple to his throne.

Bill took her hand to help her up from the booth and kept hold of it as they walked up to Eric and Pam. "Bill Compton," Eric sneered, cataloguing the tension in his shoulders and the grip he held on the girls tiny hand. He barely restrained the urge to growl at the sight of this slime touching the woman he planned to make his for a night. "It has been a while."

Bill shifted uncomfortably. "Yes. Well, I've been-"

"Mainstreaming. I've heard." Eric cut him off. Even the man's voice was annoyingly dull. "I see that is going well for you." He said turning his eyes to his Sunbeam where he planned to keep them for the rest of the night.

"Yes, of course. Sorry, Eric this is my friend-"

"Sookie Stackhouse." Eric interjected. Really, couldn't the man just quit talking?

"How do you know my name?" she asked boldly. Such a lovely voice. He couldn't wait to hear it hoarse and rough from screaming his name. Pam answered her.

"I never forget a pretty face. You're in my vault." she said seductively. Eric really hoped she wasn't hoping for his leftovers. He didn't think there would be any left when he was through with this delightful creature.

"Great. That's just great." she responded in a voice that said it was anything but great. "It's nice to meet you." she said politely, shocking Eric yet again. Manners in a vampire bar? His little Sunbeam was just full of surprises.

"Well aren't you sweet?" he drawled.

"Not really." she answered quickly. He couldn't help laugh a little. Obviously she was full of fire, which was only right for a creature of the sun. Bill squeezed and pulled on her hand in warning and Eric was thrilled when she yanked her hand out of his grip and turned to glare at the younger vampire with enough heat in her eyes to startle him into actually backing up a step.

Interesting. A human that could back a vampire off with just a look. Admittedly, Compton was a pitiful excuse of a vampire, but still, this bore deeper investigation. As deep as he could get. Who knows, she might even be worthy of being kept as the Viking's first pet.

"Ms. Stack house, I understand you have been asking questions about some of my customers." he said harshly, trying to banish his crazy thoughts. Why the hell would he want to keep a human around?

"Yes, I have." she stated. Still no fear. At least if he was going to have crazy thoughts they were about an obviously crazy human. Maybe her insanity was contagious?

"If you have anything to ask, you should ask it of me." Oh the things he hoped she would ask of him.

"Alrighty," she said briskly pulling two pictures out of her purse and stepping up to stand beside him, neatly dodging Compton's grasping hand as he tried to keep her by his side. She stood beside Eric and held the pictures in front of him. "Do you recognize either one of these girls?" she asked.

He glanced at the pictures for a brief second before letting himself enjoy her scent. Pam was right. She was still a virgin, but that wasn't all. She wasn't entirely human. Her scent was too sweet to be only human. He could almost recognize the scent, whatever she was, she really was mouthwatering. "This one offered herself to me." he admitted reaching up to point at the picture and being sure to brush her fingers with his, enjoying the way her heart skipped a beat at the contact. "I found her too pathetic for my attentions. Now, this one however...I have tasted." He remembered the beautiful brunette. He had been her first vampire, which was the only reason he had bothered with her. She had begged for more the following night, but she was no longer fresh, which was the only reason he had bothered with her in the first place.

"I remember them both." Pam said.

"On account of the vault?" Sookie said smartly. Bill reached out to pull her away, not wanting her to antagonize the older and more powerful vampires, but she actually slapped his hand away. Beautiful! A mere human that would dare to slap a vampire! Maybe the thought of keeping her around wasn't so crazy, she would definitely be good for entertainment. At least until her foolish bravery got her killed, anyway.

"I never had either of them, though." Pam said, smiling at the girls pluck. Good. He was glad that his childe approved of her as well. He would make her his pet, after all. "They weren't really my type." She looked Sookie up and down, licking her lips and leaving no doubts as to what her type was. Sookie stepped back down to Compton's side, tucking the pictures into her purse.

"Well, thank you very much. That is all your time I need to take." Eric found it amusing that she was now showing a hint of nerves. Being surrounded by deadly creatures that could kill her in a moment, no problem. A woman blatantly flirting with her, and she's ready to run. Too bad Eric wasn't ready for her to run.

"I'm not finished with you yet." he barked. He knew he wouldn't be finished with her for a long time yet. She was far too entertaining for her own good. "Please." he softened his voice and swept a hand towards the chair at his side. "Sit." She did so, gracefully smoothing the skirt of her innocently seductive dress underneath her. "Sooo, Bill. Are you quite attached to your...friend?" he asked without taking his eyes off of her.

"She is mine!" Bill said harshly, obviously hoping to head off the plans he knew Eric was forming for this delicious piece of vampire bait that he had so foolishly brought to the powerful Viking. Not that it mattered. Eric would get what he wanted and there was nothing Bill Compton could do to stop him, and Compton knew it as well as Eric did.

"I belong to myself!" Sookie said heatedly. "We've already discussed this, Bill Compton!" Eric could no longer contain his gleeful smile. She was as good as his now. The next time she looked into his eyes he would glamour her to follow him and spend the rest of the night teaching her how to please him to the fullest.

"What a pity. For you Bill." Eric said.

"Sookie," Bill pleaded, kneeling down at her feet. Could he be any more pathetic? A vampire kneeling down to a human, could he go any lower? "If you do not accept my claim on you, that means they can feed on you at will." Well, duh.

"Not if I say no, it's not as though they can glamour me into agreeing any more than you or your disgusting friends could." she responded smartly. This just got more and more interesting. He had never even heard of a human who was impervious to a vampire's glamour, could she really be the exception? He was more curious than ever about what she was now.

"Sookie, show some sense..." Bill was pleading now. Yes, he could go lower. Eric was still watching her closely, waiting for the chance to test her belief that she couldn't be glamoured when her eyes went unfocused and she seemed to quit seeing anything there. What was going on with her now? The crazy theory climbed back to the top of the list.

Her eyes and attention focused back on Bill, and now she looked scared, for the first time tonight. Eric tensed up at the thought of a possible threat to her. Why the hell was he feeling protective over a human he had just met? He didn't like it at all, but he couldn't deny the need to protect her. "We have to get out of here!" she said urgently.

"Sookie!" Bill said, a clear warning in his voice as he shook his head at her. What was he trying to hide?

Finally, Sookie looked at Eric, but he wanted to hear what she would say more than he wanted to try to glamour her. "Eric, the cops are coming. There's going to be a raid."

Fuck! The cop theory knocked the crazy one off the top again. "Tell me you're not an undercover cop!" he demanded. Please, don't let her be an undercover cop. That would make claiming her so much more complicated than it needed to be. It wouldn't stop him, but it would slow him down.

"I'm not, but that man in the hat is." she said, urgency still ringing clearly in her voice.

"Even if you're right, we do nothing illegal here." he replied coldly, trying to hide the relief he felt. He'd much rather have a lunatic as his pet than a cop. Lunatics were so much more fun. Her eyes took on that far away look again for a moment and when she came back from wherever she had gone, she had even more urgency in her eyes.

"There's a vampire named Taryn in the ladies room with that man you kicked earlier." Pam's grip on his shoulder confirmed that there was in fact a vampire named Taryn here tonight. "She's feeding on him right now."

"How do you know this?" Pam demanded suspiciously. This girl had spoken to no vampire's other than themselves and Longshadow, and Pam wanted to know how she was so informed. Pam had seen Taryn helping the man up and leaving with him, but how did this girl know? Before she could explain herself, the front doors burst open under the force of a large police squad armed with silver ropes and nets.

"Follow me." Eric demanded grabbing the girls hand and pulling her with him to the back door. As they stepped outside Bill caught up to them and tried to pull Sookie away from him.

"I'll see her home." he said.

"I'll take care of Miss Stackhouse," Eric said coldly picking her up into his arms and looking at Compton with a threat clear on his face. "You just see yourself home and we _will _discuss this tomorrow. I expect you to be here no later than ten o clock." With that said, he held her closely to him, enjoying the warmth of her curves pressed into him and took flight, shooting straight up into the air and laughing at the frightened squeal she let out as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest.

Oh, yes. He could definitely get used to keeping this little mystery close to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- **I do not own, nor profit from Eric Northman. If I did own him, I would still not profit from it, since I am possessive and territorial and would keep him all to myself, unlike CH and AB who are generous enough to share him with the world. For a price of course.

Chapter 3

Eric flew slower than he normally would, enjoying the feel of her warm body in his arms and her hot breath against his chest far more than he should. He was holding her bridal style at the moment but he soon decided that there were much better ways to hold this lovely...whatever she was. He let go of her knees and laughed loudly when she screamed, tightened her grip on his neck and quickly wrapped her legs around him, gripping him to her with every limb she had. This was much better.

"What the hell are you anyway?" she screamed, lifting her head to look at him. "The vampire version of Superman?"

"Not quite," he chuckled. "Although there have been rumors of my skills in bed." She blushed and looked away from him. That wouldn't do. He quit flying and hovered where he was about fifty feet off the ground and then gripped her chin with one hand, keeping his other arm wrapped around her back, pressing her chest tightly into his, and lifted her chin, meeting her eyes with his own. Time to test her certainly wrong belief that she couldn't be glamoured. He tried to induce her to kiss him. He would enjoy his first taste of her lips, but she did nothing for a moment, then she shook her head and frowned at him.

"I really don't know why you feel the need to glamour me when we're this high up and you're the only thing keeping me from plummeting to the ground. It seems to me that you currently have all the power here already. Are you really so insecure that you feel the need to magically induce me to your bidding?" Oh yes, she really was full of fire, but when she aimed her flames at him, he found it much less satisfying than when she was lighting Compton up. He frowned at her, trying to intimidate where Longshadow had failed, but it seemed that the only thing that did intimidate was the thought of girl on girl sex. It was a damn good thing that he loved a challenge, because clearly Sookie would be the first human to challenge him ever, and she apparently would do so in every way possible. What the hell kind of human couldn't be glamoured anyway? Well the not quite a human kind of human, obviously. How had she known about the raid and that idiot Taryn in the bathroom? Who the hell eats in the bathroom? And why was he feeling so angry and out of sorts? Had he seriously been complaining about the tedium that was his life earlier? Obviously Odin had heard him and decided to end the tedium. And probably give himself a few laughs at the same time.

"What are you?" he asked. "How did you know those things at the bar? What's going on in your head when you get that far off look in your eyes and then start talking about things you should not know?" That was a good start for all the questions he had for this girl.

"I'm Sookie Stackhouse and I'm a waitress in Bon Temps. A waitress who is really tired of vampire's asking me what I am. I am telepathic and could hear the undercover cop thinking about the raid, and the man in the bathroom thinking about Taryn biting him, and that is what is going on in my head when I get my 'crazy Sookie' look. I'm listening to the thoughts around me and trying to concentrate on certain ones. I'm also terrified of heights in certain situations, of which this happens to be one of them." There. She'd answered his questions in order and even threw in some extra information. Maybe if she kept him happy and she was lucky, he would slowly lower them both to the safe, comfortable ground which she was just begining to realize that she loved desperately.

Nope. She wasn't that lucky. He stopped hovering in one spot and began to fly again. She could barely see the ground below, but she saw enough to know that they were not heading towards her lovely home that she would never leave again if she only got out of this alive. "So, what am I thinking right now then." he asked in a silky voice that struck her as nothing but dangerous. He was not thrilled with the thought of a human, or a kind of human, knowing what was going through his mind, and was curious about why Bill hadn't killed her when he found out about her ability. Compton obviously knew about it and had tried to warn her not to let Eric know, but too bad for her, she rushed off and did her own thing, ignoring the warnings.

"I can't hear vampires. It's quite lovely actually. The silence, I mean. Just touching Bill even lowers the volume of all the thoughts that I can hear and makes it easier to keep my sheilds up. That's the main reason I liked spending time with him. It's horrible having to hear every mean and nasty thing that people think, but around vampires I can just...relax, and feel normal. Well as normal as you can feel when you suspect your company is thinking about how your blood would taste. But that's the beauty of it! I suspect he's thinking about it, but I don't know for sure." She was shocked at how honest she was with this intimidating vampire, but the words just spilled out without any forethought from her. She obviously needed to repair the filter between her brain and her mouth. Either that or she should rinse her mouth out to clean the residue from that overflow of word vomit. He began to think about all the different ways he would like to take her body and her blood, watching her closely for a reaction that never came. He decided that he would believer her for now. "Where are you taking me? My home is the other way."

"You will stay at my home now." he answered her shortly, lowering them to the widow's peak on his house and watching her reaction to his words. Her eyes grew very wide and she smiled. Smiled! It wasn't a natural smile like the one she had given Bill earlier though. It stretched across her face, didn't reach her panicked eyes and looked as though it was almost painful. He let her leave the shelter of his arms, but kept his hands on her sides, not really wanting her to leave his touch completely.

"Thank you very much for the kind offer, but my gran is expecting me home tonight and I have to work the early shift tomorrow, so I really should be getting home soon." she said in a strained voice. He cocked his head and smiled down at her. What a strange...whatever...she was. She was obviously terrified that he was kidnapping her. And he _was _kidnapping her, there was no way that he was letting her out of his sight until he knew she was no danger to him or his people. And even after he knew it for sure, he might still choose to not let her out of his sight. He could lock her in his dayroom with him and keep her next to him at all times, handy for him to fuck her and feed off her whenever the urge struck him until he tired of her, and then he could put her to work elsewhere in his business empire. A telepath could be very handy to have around, especially now that vampires had come out of the coffin. It would probably be a good idea to keep her always at his side for the training period anyway. Hadn't he heard somewhere that it helped foster loyalty for their masters if you did that with dogs? A pet is a pet, right?

"You will not be going back to your gran." he stated, having made his decision. "Compton may have been foolish enough to let you run around on your own, but I am not as foolish as he is. You will belong to me now, and as such you will live here with me and stay by my side while I train you to pleasure me and you use your powers for me and my purposes."

The stretched and painful smile left her face and her lips pursed tightly. She shot him a much more heated version of the glare that Compton had backed away from earlier that night, and he could almost understand the urge to step away from the fire that burned in her eyes. Not that he would, of course. He was a warrior! Had been a great warrior in his mortal life, and continued as one in his immortal existence. No warrior would back away from a tiny, mostly human woman, just because she shot him an angry look. But he could understand the urge. "I will not belong to you now, I will continue to belong to myself, just as I have always done, and if you do not take me home to my gran, I will do everything in my power to make you regret it." she said between clenched teeth.

"You are a tiny, mortal woman. Just how much power do you think you have?" he asked with a smirk. It would do no good to let on how much potential power she had in her glare. Sookie decided that maybe her secret didn't have to be as secret as she had kept it for so long now. After all, she had been told that the time may come when she wanted to use her true heritage for protection. Obviously that time had come. But how could she handle this without making him even more determined to keep her. After all, fairy blood was supposed to be a delicacy for vampires, and the only reason she hadn't been drained already was because she was only one eighth fairy, and while she smelled sweet, she wasn't fae enough to cause the usual feeding frenzy. And she definitely didn't want him to know which she line she came from. He would probably only want to use her as a bargaining chip against her Great Grandfather if he knew. So how could she let him know that she could protect herself from him without letting him know too much? He already knew about her telepathy, but that wasn't a fairy power, so maybe if she used one of her other non fairy powers it would work without her becoming a political pawn in the never ending between fairies and vampires. Damn Jason and man-whore ways that got her into this mess trying to save his ass in the first place! And damn herself for not listening to Claudine about staying far far away from vampires! And damn Eric for looking so good that her brain didn't work fast enough around him! She focused on everything that had happened lately that made her angry, bringing her anger to the front of her thoughts and amping it up, and when she got to thinking about what the Rattray had done to her, ganging up on her and beating her to within an inch of her life she finally reached the critical point, a blue light began to shine from her skin, and something completely unexpected happened.

Eric saw the light. She had been this angry before in front of people and they had never noticed it, just they never seemed to notice the faint glow that vampires gave off to Sookies eyes. Not only did he notice it, but it burned his hands where they rested on her waist and he jerked back hissing at the pain. Her shock at the unexpected reaction broke her focus on her anger and the light drew back into her body. She was glad right at that moment that she had so much practice at keeping a poker face on. No need to let him know that she didn't expect that to happen. She gave him a haughty look as if nothing unexpected had occured and presented him with an alternative to his plan. Now that she had thoroughly pissed him off, maybe a compromise was in order to keep him from pitting all of his resources towards her destruction. "I have enough power to protect myself." she assured him. "Even from a vampire. But I have enough sense to want to compromise with you. I suggest that you forget completely about me pleasuring you, because that will never happen, and we come to a deal about me using my powers to help you out. I could be an employee and we can work out a mutually agreeable fee for any work you want from me involving my telepathy." she suggested.

He looked at her and then down at his already healed hands and decided that this might be the best thing to do. For now anyway. Whatever she was, she was powerful, and it would be a good idea to have her working for him rather than against him. He decided that until he knew more about what she was capable of, he could try her compromise idea, but she _would _be his before all was said and done. But he no longer wanted her as a pet. She would make an amazing vampire.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sookie or Eric *sob*, if I did, I would chain him up in my basement and probably never leave my house again.

**A/N: Yay! I have my first Beta, so give thanks to vikinglass25 for taking her time to give me ideas and proofread this before I post it, catching the mistakes that I do not. I hate rereading my own writing.**

Chapter 4

"Come. We will further discuss the terms of this...'arrangement' inside where you will be more comfortable." Eric said imperiously as he held open the rooftop door. Sookie just looked at him suspiciously, not trusting his calm reaction to her display of powers. There was no way she could have expected a vampire to react so well to the fact that a little human woman could hurt him with just a thought. "Come on then," he insisted. "You are shivering out here in the wind, and it is warm inside. You will be much more comfortable there."

"Yeah, sure. So said the spider to the fly." she muttered under her breath as she walked past him, being careful to not brush against his wide chest. Of course he heard her, it took a great use of will power to not chuckle or smirk. He did not want to alert her to anything that would stop her from going inside, he had spun this web well long before and was eager to catch this tasty little morsel in it. She seemed to understand that vampires were, by their very nature, sneaky and manipulative, but fortunately for him, that did not stop her from walking right into his trap. As soon as she crossed the threshold she felt the magic that had been placed on his home when he had it built, it tingled across her skin and itched behind her eyes. She immediately turned and tried to leave but there was an invisible barrier between her and the viking who still stood outside on the roof. "What have you done?" she growled at him. This adorable little kitten actually growled as if she thought she was a tiger. Oh yes, she truly would make a fantastic vampire, for amusement value if nothing else.

"I have invited you into my home." he said calmly watching her face to read her reactions. "You will not be able to leave until I invite you to leave, just as you would not have been able to enter without one. I was begining to believe that that clause to the spell was worthless, but I am very glad to have added it now that it has tilted the bargaining field into my favor." Now he smirked. Until she mumbled something in a language he found vaguely familiar, a language that brought to mind battlefields covered in blood and steeped in magic. He stepped towards her, wanting to demand what language she spoke, but was stopped from entering by a barrier similar to the one that kept her in. Now she was smirking. "What have you done to my home?" he growled. She blanched and felt slightly ashamed of her earlier growl. _That _was a growl, and she now wished she had kept her pathetic little imitation to herself.

"Claimed it as my own. You can't enter a humans home without an invitation, so I suppose that would mean we are once again playing on a level field." she said smugly. Her smugness may get her killed later, but she just couldn't help it, it felt too good to one up such an arrogant ass as him.

"You are not a human, and we both know this, so even if this really was your home the ancient magic that keeps it out should not be invoked for you. Besides, I know it takes more than a few words to own a home and invoke that, even if you were human. What language did you just speak?" he demanded. This would never do. She couldn't let him go on thinking that he could just make demands and order her around like that. Not when they were alone.

"Only one quarter of me is not human, leaving more than enough to invoke the ancient wards. The quarter of me that is...not human...is what makes it possible for me to claim this house with a few simple words, and it is none of your business what language I spoke." she said, gripping tightly to the smugness she needed to continue this conversation.

"That is where you are wrong, Pet. You are my business now, you and everything about you. What are you?" Still making demands. He may be a slow learner.

"My ancestry is another of those things which falls under the heading of 'Nunya.' You might try civility and reason with me, rather than trickery and arrogance you know. The whole honey versus vinegar debate comes to mind. Honey alway wins." she said. His eyes darkened and his jaw clenched. As if that didn't make him look terrifying enough, the muscle under his left eye was twitching sporadically. He looked insane. Maybe smug wasn't the way to go here. Maybe she should find a different way. A way that would leave her alive. It was really unfair that such a small change in expression could be so completely terrifying, make her want to wet her pants so much. She _really _needed to learn that trick. She could be more than terrifying when she needed to be, but it took so much more _effort _to accomplish for her. _Really _unfair.

"Or I might just rip this home down around you. With a few walls gone, the ancient wards will no longer hold." he threatened.

"Do you really want to do that? This is such a beautiful home, too beautiful to destroy so foolishly. Seems like overkill when all I really ask is that you allow me the freedom to leave. I still want to work out a deal with you, but I will _not _be held prisoner. The sooner you accept that you cannot force me into _anything _I don't want, the sooner we can hammer out the details of a mutually satisfying arrangement." she said, holding the smugness inside this time.

He saw it though. He saw her smug belief that she was untouchable. Her foolish belief that he had no control over her and it just strengthened his determination to own her. He would claim her, mark her as his and bend her to his will. She _would _be his to do with as he pleased. Unfortunately it would not happen as quickly as he had thought, but it _would _happen. Just not right this second. First he had to teach her to fear him.

"Sookie. Please step outside, and then allow me into _my _home." he said smoothly and calmly.

She knew there would be consequences. She knew that he would demand them as soon as he could reach her, but really, what choice did she have here? At least she was confident that he would not kill her. The look of possessiveness he kept giving her was too strong for that, even as it shared space on his features with the anger that would soon punish her. She could only hope that it would not hurt too much.

"This is a beautiful home you have, Eric." she said softly, trying desperately to hide her fear. As soon as the words aknowledging that this was not her home crossed her lips the magical barrier that he was leaning against disappeared and he stumbled inside not expecting that to happen having not heard any invitation. He quickly caught his balance and grabbed her by the shoulders and quickly backed her into the far wall thrilling at the squeal that escaped her mouth. She would do a lot more than squeal when he was through with her. How _dare _she bar him from his own home, and then smugly inform him of what he should do? She was more than human enough that he would have to teach her her place. He recognized the look in her eyes as she attempted to call upon the strange power that she had burnt him with earlier. It seemed to be something she needed to think hard about to accomplish judging by the little frown between her eyebrows, so he would just take away her ability to think. He wrapped one big hand around her slender, fragile neck and squeezed tight enough to cut off the circulation to her brain, being very careful to do no further harm to his pet. One so defiant as her did not deserve the honor of being his childe, but it would be a lot of fun to break her spirit and make her his pet, he decided. As soon as she slumped into his arms, unconscious from lack of oxygen to her brain the dim blue glow that she had managed to summon faded quickly away. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her down to his light tight day chamber under the home and through many heavy duty security precautions. Whatever she was, he was hoping that either the inch of silver lining his walls or the inch of iron would be enough to contain her magic and hold her there. She would not be leaving until he let her.

He laid her out on the king sized bed adorned with expensive egyptian cotton sheets and went to the cabinet where he stored the toys he was not using. She had already shown him that it would not do to underestimate her and he would not allow her the chance to repeat any of her previous tricks. He tied her wrists to the iron posts on the headboard of his bed, deciding to leave her ankles free. For now anyway. After checking they would hold well, he held her mouth open, planning to fasten a ball gag on her and prevent her from uttering strangely familiar languages that could bar him from his own home, but then he had a brilliant thought. He was planning to bond with her anyway, so why not begin now? Well aware that the feel of his fangs would likely bring her roaring back to consciousness he decided to begin with her part of the process, tearing his wrist open and dribbling his thick, ancient blood into her mouth then massaging her throat until she swallowed convulsively. He repeated the process five times before feeling satisfied with the strength of the connection he now felt to her. The whole process was rather a let down for the large Viking. He had heard tales of how sensual it was to perform an exchange but the whole thing was business like and disappointing. Maybe next time, when she was awake, aware and actively participating, it would be better. Not wanting her to know about this just yet he carefully cleansed all signs of his blood from her creamy golden skin before tilting her head to the right, lengthening and exposing that lovely neck that he would keep as his own personal chalice. he gave her throat one leisurely lick right where he intended to sink his fangs and was unable to contain his low moan of pleasure.

She _did _taste of the sun! He could taste the warm sun and the cool summer breeze, heady with the taste of flowers and he hadn't even bitten her yet! She likely had roses in her garden and a willow in her yard. She also lived very near a wooded area and...yes, he could smell the touch of that incompetent fool Compton on her skin. Without his permission or even his knowledge growls were rumbling deeply in his chest. What had that worthless waste of time been doing touching her neck? Had he been marking the place he was planning to drink from? Eric snarled loudly at the thought, bringing Sookie to awareness with a rush of fear at the primal sound. Instinctively he bit down on her viciously in the exact spot that Compton had brushed against, just below her ear, thrilling in the startled squeal of pain that choked out of his little pet. She would no longer carry the smell of another man. Anywhere. Ever. She was _his_, and his smell was the only one he would allow to be mingled with hers. Her fear and pain made the angry light a lot easier to call upon she was almost immediately bathed in it, she could hear his flesh sizzling and smell the burnt skin, but he did not release the grip his fangs had on her neck. Her sweet, delicious blood was pumping into his mouth and he knew what that language had been. She was Fae, and he would never let her go now. He had never tasted anything as fine as this woman under him, not even during the wars when he had feasted on the blood of full blooded Fae all through the nights. There was a very distinctive Fae taste to her, mixed intoxitcatingly with the human, but there was something else there as well. Something he couldn't identify or get enough of. He began to pull deeply on her blood, no longer content to let it pump into his mouth on it's own.

The sensation running through Sookie's body when he began to suck her life into him was indescribably..._good. _She could feel each pull all through her body as though he was tugging on the veins themselves and it caused a burning sensation deep in her abdomen and a heaviness in her breasts. She moaned softly and the blue light began to fade. The superficial burns on the Viking's skin healed instantly and he lowered his body down on top of hers, rubbing his throbbing erection against her abdomen, trying desperately to relieve the pressure he felt with friction. She moaned and her thighs parted involuntarily, the scent of her aroma wafted up to his nose and he quickly lost all interest in her blood, withdrawing his fangs from her lithe neck and licking the wounds closed taking care to prick his tongue and smear a drop of his blood over the wounds. He did not want to leave marks on her lovely skin as though she were no more than a worthless fangbanger to be used and disrespected. The Northman's pet would be shown respect and deference by those under him. He would have it no other way, and he was old enough and more than powerful enough to get his way. Sookie could feel the magic of the bond he was forcing on her as it wormed inside her soul, linking and connecting her to the ancient viking, and her anger returned, forcing the pleasure and lust into the back ground. She wanted to yell Fae curses at him, burn him from the inside out, but the ball gag he had put on her prevented that. He had already proven that he could and would persist despite the burn of the light she could call upon, so that really left her only one choice. Lightening arced from several different points on her body and into the Viking that was molesting her, sending him flying across the room and into the unyeilding wall. He looked at her in shock, not yet comprehending what had happened. That was not Fairy magic! He had fought against them, and on a couple of memorable occasions with the Fae, more than enough to recognize the smell and flavor that Fae magic left in the air, and this was not it. This was something new. Something other. Before his stunned eyes, the little fairy pet that he had believed was well and truly trapped blinked out of her bonds and reappeared at the foot of the bed. She ripped the ball gag off with her now freed hands and began to stalk towards the still stunned viking. She was glowing brightly now, her fury radiating off of her palpably and small arcs of electricity were sparking all over her body.

"You would dare to force this unwanted bond on me when you know not what you are dealing with? Poorly played Northman. I would have dealt more than fairly with you, giving you the services of my telepathy when you asked for a small fee. I _would _have sworn fealty to your area, worked as an employee of yours, an assett of yours, but you dare to force me into a magical binding with no consideration of my own wants in the matter, and in doing so you have made an enemy of me." As she said the word enemy a spark flew out of her eyes and pierced his chest, scorching and burning him, and amazingly shocking his long dead heart, making it beat once, hurting him deeply in a way that he would have never even imagined. "Would you like to live again Viking? I can make it so, make your heart beat regularly, sapping your unnatural, undead strength." Another shock, another heartbeat. For the first time in his entire existence, Eric felt a bone deep fear. He squashed it down and refused to acknowledge it, watching her carefully as he tried to stand. The pain running through his body, from the forced pulses of blood through long dried veins made it difficult to move. "I could call upon powers that you've never imagined and make you mortal again, vulnerable, weak and human. Is that what you want?" Another shock. This time Eric was able to focus through the intense pain and he noticed that with the shock she gave him, her blue light dimmed and pain showed on her features. The bond he had created with her might just get him out of the trouble it had gotten him into, she was feeling his pain even as she dealt it to him.

"What would that do to you, Fairy? To be irrevocably tied to a human? Would it weaken you? Shorten your life span? Do you really want to be bonded to a mortal with all that it would entail, or would you rather just leave things as they are and be bonded to one of the most powerful vampires on the continent?" he rasped. Thank Odin, his words had some effect. She stopped walking towards him and the sparks shooting out of her lessened in intensity and quantity, shooting intermittently now from only her fingers and her eyes.

"Dammitt!" she shouted at him. "I didn't want this! I just wanted to help my idiotic brother stay out of prison! The last fucking thing I wanted was to be tied to an egotistical ass and to out myself! You will tell no one what you've witnessed tonight, or I will make you mortal, and damn the consequences to myself."

"And what do I get in return for keeping your secrets little one?" He could feel his strength returning quickly now that the attack had stopped. The glorious blood that he had stolen from her was working quickly to heal her. Whatever she was, it intensified the healing properties of his blood immensely, a fact that he was more than pleased to learn. He was still determined to make her his, and he had an idea that he would need the improved healing to help him through the coming confrontations they would no doubt have.

"How about I let you keep you continued existence as an undead creep? Is that worth keeping my secret to you?" she said haughtily. The simple act of negotiating was calming her further, the light she was surrounded in was dimming, the sparks disipating altogether.

"No. I would still have you swear fealty to my area and work as my employee. I would also have us finish the bond that has begun this night." he said firmly.

"What makes you think you have the power to demand so much?" she asked incredulously.

"Only the fact that you have gone this long without anyone learning of your powers and I would think that you wouldn't the supernatural world to be aware of a new and dangerous creature in their midst. You are obviously powerful, whatever you are, but are you powerful to survive an attack by all the vampires in this queendom? The weres and shifters? Just how strong are you?" he said calmly, laying all his cards on the table. She stared at him incredulously for a few stunned moments.

"Well fuck. Don't this just beat all. First you force a bond on me, trapping me in this realm and then you threaten to sic an entire realm of supes on me just because I'm different? Fuck." she said softly. Dammitt, he still had bargaining power after all. She could probably survive such a concentrated attack as he threatened her with, but she really had no wish to deal with the hassle that would ensue and likely continue for the rest of her existence. "Fine." she said shortly. "I will make my telepathy available to you, as an employee. A paid employee. I will not swear fealty to you, but to your queen, and you can just forget about the bond. That will not be happening vampire. I will find a way to dissolve the link you have already made and that will be the end of that."

"You do not have to swear fealty to my queen. She would insist on keeping you for herself, and I find that I would rather have you close. As far as the bond goes, there is no possible way to dissolve a bond created with magic, surely you know that?" He could bargain with her for now, at least until he managed to maneuver himself into a more favorable position.

"Tell me, Viking. Would you have believed that _I _was possible at the begining of this night?" she said smugly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything. I had Eric on my Christmas list but Santa must have decided that I was not good enough to get my own Viking. Or maybe it was just that I was not naughty enough. Oh well, I'll try harder this year.

Chapter 5

"Regardless, you will not attempt to break the bond." Eric stated. He sounded calm but Sookie could feel his anger through the bond. She would really have to look into closing that off even if she couldn't break the bond. She had no desire to be subject to the mood swings of an insane, bloodsucking vampire with over a thousand years of issues. Although it might be interesting to see how her psychotic version of PMS would affect him. If it was bad enough for her to have to isolate herself from everyone for two days a month, how would it manifest in him? She would probably be able to read about it in the newspapers in a couple of weeks. Might want to give him a heads up about that, for the sake of Shreveport if nothing else.

"I will do what I please, when I please. In case you haven't already noticed, I don't follow orders very well and you can't force your will on me, so what's to stop me from trying?" she said haughtily. She almost regretted her challenging words when he got that insane berserker look again and growled at her, but really, it was too much fun poking the bear for her to feel any real regret.

"Just like I couldn't force a blood bond on you?" he gritted out between his even, white, tightly gritted teeth.

Touché.

"Let me rephrase. Now that I'm on guard about your freakish speed, you can't force your will on me." she retorted with more than just a hint of smugness.

Poke.

Just as she expected, he flashed towards her again, reaching for her throat. A large bolt of lightening shot from her hand, arcing through the air and directly into his chest, throwing him back into the wall. "Did I forget to mention that I'm a fast learner?" she asked sweetly.

Poke.

He landed on his feet, already growling at her like a good bear. "I will not allow you to put me in danger of my final death for something that is not possible anyway. I do not understand why you would be willing to take that risk with your own life," he said, struggling to regain his calm. It was becoming apparent to him that anger and threats would get him nowhere with this infuriating woman. Maybe reason and logic would work then.

"Don't worry, I'm not suicidal and I won't do anything unless my…connections are certain it's safe to do so." she said.

He should have realized that reason and logic wouldn't work with this woman. Wait…"What connections?" he demanded. Her connections couldn't be that great seeing as he had never come across her or any mention of her before this night. Even if she did have powerful 'connections', he didn't really have to worry about it. After all, a blood bond was unbreakable, and even though he had only managed the first step of a blood bond, even that much was irreversible thanks to the amount of his blood he had force fed her. Still, it would behoove him to know who it was that she believed would know answers of this magnitude.

"My fairy connections." she answered airily, deliberately being vague while still giving the appearance of going along. The only way she could finish this long horrible night so she could go home, take a long, hot bath, and temporarily forget about everything that had happened would be to appease him a little so they could stop the back and forth fighting and hammer out some sort of working agreement. He narrowed his eyes at her, obviously aware of what she was trying to get away with, but willing to let it slide for now. He had much more entertaining plans for his Sunshine than fighting with her all night and there were still several hours to do them in which he didn't want to waste.

"So we are agreed then. You will swear fealty to me rather than the queen and use your powers to my benefit whenever I require it of you for a mutually agreed upon fee. You will also feed me and drink from me when I require it." he stated imperiously, even as he knew it wouldn't work. He just couldn't help the urge to dominate her though.

"Yeah, you wish." she snorted at him. Snorted! At him! She might have amazing strong, and painful powers the likes of which he had never witnessed, but that was just rude! "I will work you for when you _ask, _and I have the time, for a mutually agreed upon fee, you have all the donors you'll ever need at your bar to feed on, I will not allow another drop of your blood to pass my lips, and I will swear fealty to no one." she stated her terms. She was getting really fed up with him and decided to push one last button. This would either drive him to attack again or push him to accept her terms. Since he was insane and she had no way of predicting which it would be she stayed alert with the lightening ready inside her for release. So ready, in fact, that she would need to release some of it regardless of his reaction. The amount of static electricity running through her at that moment was fearsome enough that she would probably be able to stop a persons heart with one touch. She couldn't help feeling proud of herself for being able to control it so well, normally she had barely any control over it whatsoever after she called upon it. Maybe the vampire blood was helping? She decided that that must be what it was, more because she liked to think of the delicious irony of him giving her exactly what she needed to be able to fend him off. Beautiful thought that was. Now it was time for her threat. "I would take the offer Eric, or I'll just go to your queen and make her an offer."

Poke.

He growled and tensed but didn't move to attack her again. "I'm sure she would much prefer not having to go through one of her underlings for my services anyway." she said thoughtfully.

Poke.

He took a step towards her at the thought that she would do so, but stopped when he could actually _see _her hair trying to stand up on her head as the power she held in such tight control began to slip it's restraints.

He did not enjoy the shocks she had given him already that night, mostly because of the intense pain caused by the forced beating of his long dead heart. He also didn't want to find out how many shocks it would take to get his heart beating again. The mere thought of being human again made him shudder in distaste. He would have to think hard at another time about how much power she could wield over his actions with no more than the threat of violence. Fear was not in his limited capacity of emotions. Lust and bloodlust, anger and rage, determination and satisfaction. No fear. So why did the reminder of her lightening have the power to make him change his course of action?

Not fear.

Just strategic thinking.

"Fine. I will not require that you swear fealty to me." he conceded the one point he was willing to concede on this. There was no way he would give up on the blood bond and the ability to drink her delicious and powerful blood every night.

"And you will forget about the blood bond."

Never.

"You do not have to drink from me, but I will require that you be a willing donor for me and me only." He could let her think he conceded on that point for now if it would give him access to her sweet sustenance. He had no doubt that there would be a full bond between them, after all, he always got what he wanted in the end. It would just take a little more diplomacy and patience than he was accustomed to displaying. He watched her closely as she considered his offer, pleased that she did not try to turn it down out of hand.

After a long moment during which he thought he might lose his mind she gave him a small nod. "I suppose that will be fine for now. You've already had you're meal from me tonight, so if the terms are agreeable to the both of us, I am ready to go home."

"The terms are agreeable to me, but you will not be going home tonight." he stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. To his surprise, she didn't argue, merely lifted one eyebrow far enough that he feared it would get lost in her hair.

"So I let you drink my blood and no others, you will no longer push me for a blood bond, and I will work for you when we can come to an agreement about fees. Our negotiations on this matter are finalized for now and this is the agreement we have reached. Will you shake on it, Northman?" she asked stretching her hand out for his. Although vampires typically did not shake, he wanted to touch her again so he grasped her hand and had to use all of his willpower to not jump back when he felt a shock of magic go through him, originating from the contact with her hand. She shook his hand up and down once briskly and smiled at him. Smugly. "It is done."

"What the hell was that?" he demanded. He may be willing to use magic on others without their knowledge or permission, but he did not like that it had been done to him so often this night. He _really did not like the smug smile on her face._

"_That was the agreement we reached. We are now bound to fulfill the terms as they have been set. At least until we renegotiate. Now that the negotiations I so foolishly began with you are over, I am free to leave. I'm sure Pam will be able to reach me if you need to now that I am in her 'vault', and I hope that you fully enjoy the remainder of your night. I would thank you for your hospitality, but really, you showed none. Goodbye." And with that there was a popping sound and she disappeared. A second later, there was a bright flash of lightening in the distance which took out a large tree in the woods surrounding his home. _

_He immediately felt the rage that he had been holding in such tight control break lose and he flew out of his house and in the direction of the fallen tree. It was not difficult to find. The trees and earth for many feet around it were scorched although there was no fire, and the tree itself was split down the middle and nothing more than a large, blackened, vaguely tree shaped lump of coal. He was unable to detect the scent of anything other than scorched ozone and elm. He let out a loud roar of frustration, unbelievably pissed that she had so easily gotten away from him and pulled his phone out of his pocket to call Pam and get her address. Looking at the partially melted case though, he knew there was no point in trying to make a call so he quickly returned to his home where he learned that all the electrical fuses had not only blown but had actually exploded and when he picked up the land line, all he heard was an electrical sounding buzz._

_Poke._


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: **I own nothing, although Eric is on my birthday wish list. A gracious plenty of times.**

**A/N:**__It was pointed out to me that a couple of things weren't clear or didn't make any sense in the last chapter, so hopefully this one will help clear it up.

Chapter 6

Sookie slowly lowered herself into the steaming bathwater, hissing slightly at the heat. Her greatest wish at that moment was to clear her mind and not think of the disastrous night she had just had. The night that she knew would completely change her life. Too bad her mind had other plans and refused to shut up, spinning in circles that started at self pity, moved on to self blame, blaming her man-whore of a brother, Bill Compton, Pam's stupid freakin' vault, and most of all the insane Viking who had immediately decided she should belong to him, and then right back to self pity again.

The human life she had worked so hard all of her life to build and hold on to was as good as over now. It was dead and gone, with no chance of revival and she couldn't help but mourn the loss of something she had put so much effort into maintaining. She may have never really fit in with most of the people in her town, but she was still satisfied with her life. She had a handful of true friends that knew she was different but accepted and loved her despite them. They more than made up for the close minded people who called her crazy and retarded, or avoided her completely out of fear and belief. She had a job that she enjoyed, with a boss whose thoughts didn't drive her to the brink of either tears or violence. Sure a lot of that was because he was a shifter, so his thoughts weren't clear to her, but even when she did hear his not so G rated thoughts about her, they weren't crude and nasty, but were rather caring and affectionate. She had almost decided to give him a chance before this nightmare of an evening had happened. That was no longer an option for her now. Anyone close to her would be in danger now. Even with only her telepathy becoming known to the supernatural world, her services would sought and fought after by many different factions who felt they were above and unbound by the rules of common courtesy and law. This was something she had known could happen for all of her life. She'd been told many times by her Fae kin that most supes thought themselves better than humans and would have no compunctions about threatening, hurting and killing her loved ones to get her under their power, and Eric had more than proven that to her tonight. Repeatedly and spectacularly.

She should have never gone into that bar. She should have never revealed her telepathy like she did. Should have just let the raid happen and laughed her ass off when he had to pay the price for Taryn's indiscretion, but she must have been too blinded by his mind numbing beauty to use her brain. It really wasn't fair that so much psychosis should come in such a pretty package. Most importantly, she should have never panicked when he was flying her hundreds of feet in the air. Unfortunately, being held so close to his hard , chiseled body and being terrified out of her mind had caused her to completely abandon her usually strategic thought processes and she had opened negotiations with him. From that moment on, her vary nature had magically prevented her from getting away from him until negotiations were mutually agreed upon. Once the terms were in place and they 'celebrated' the agreement they were both bound to follow it by the same magic that had forced her to finish negotiating with him. Thank goodness shaking hands could be loosely interpreted as celebrating.

She had tried to word their terms carefully before asking him to shake on it but her mind had been split in so many different ways she wasn't sure she had done very good. She had been distracted by the fact that his shirt was hanging in scorched tatters after she shocked him a couple of times. What a body! She might not like how egotistical he was but she could certainly understand it! If the rest of him was as well sculpted and proportionate as what she had seen it was no wonder the girls in his bar were all fantasizing about him. Between that and the lightening she had called up that needed released she was left hoping she hadn't screwed up to bad while wording their terms.

At least she had avoided swearing fealty to either him or his queen, and even better had managed to get in something about him not being able to push her about completing the bond. And now that she remembered that whole mess she was flushed and angry again. She would no longer be able to cross the portals and visit the Fae portion of her family. Not unless she brought him with her or found a way to break the bond. She shuddered in horror at the thought of taking an insane, ancient and powerful vampire into that realm where he would be surrounded by fairies and filled with even more insanity caused by the scent of fairies. She _really _hadn't thought things through very well when she decided to go to a vampire bar. She might not smell fae enough to cause the insanity, but she apparently had enough fae in her to smell _really _good to vampires. She had been all too aware of the fangs dropping all around her as she walked through the bar, but honestly, it had never occurred to her to worry about that. She had spent time with Bill and he hadn't seemed affected by it so she hadn't thought twice about it. That was yet another mistake she had made in a long list of mistakes tonight.

She reluctantly accepted that she would no longer be able to visit her kin in the other realm, and while she was making herself accept the unacceptable, she may as well accept that she would not be working at Merlotte's for much longer. Once word about her telepathy got around she had no doubt that the vampires and probably other supes would be keeping her very busy. Unless of course Eric let it be known about her other powers. Then she would probably be too busy trying to survive. The were's might not care either way, but she had no doubt that most vampire's would want to end the existence of someone who could so effectively kill them, or even worse, turn them mortal again. Fortunately, she didn't think she had to worry about Eric outing her on that score. There was no mistaking the greedy, possessive way he had looked at her that night. Even after she had effectively kicked his ass he had still looked at her as though she was the newest and greatest toy on the market and he couldn't wait to unwrap her and play with her. Unfortunately the very thing that would keep him from telling her secrets was also the thing that was currently the most worrying to her. Too bad he was completely insane. Otherwise she might be excited about the fact that an unnaturally gorgeous specimen of man whose mind she couldn't hear wanted her. And that's why she was worried. He was way too appealing for her own good, and it was just _wrong _how amazing it felt when he was feeding from her. If he could make death feel so wonderful what could he do when he was trying to please her in other ways?

With that thought her center clenched and heat flushed through her body. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the rim of her tub, remembering how it had felt to have him laying over her, his body pressing against her as his mouth moved on her neck, pulling on her life force. She pictured him kissing down her neck to her collarbone and across her chest and her hand drifted up her chest from it's resting place on her stomach. She ran her fingertip in light circles around the globe of her breast in ever decreasing circles, closer and closer to her already puckered nipple. She rolled the overly sensitized bud between her finger and arched her back a little, while the Viking in her mind nibbled on the same nipple and then moved his skilled mouth down, down, over her soft belly and towards her now throbbing folds, following the same path her hand was traveling.

"Sookie!" Bill's voice yelled in her hallway, traveling fast down her hallway and towards the door behind which he could smell her. "You made it back safely!" he exclaimed throwing open the door so he could verify her safety with his own eyes. He stopped dead at the sight of the wet naked goddess lounging in the tub before him. He was quite certain that he had never seen a vision so beautiful in all his years of existence. His fangs flicked down involuntarily and he shoved his fists in his pockets, trying to hide the other obvious and immediate reaction his body had from her eyes. He knew that a gentleman would turn away and apologize but he was unable to force his eyes off of her. There was steam still rising from her bathwater that was lapping at her breasts over her aroused nipples. He noted that one of them was darker than the other and could see faint marks around it from where she had been pinching herself. As soon as he realized what she had most likely been doing before he burst in he was able to move again. He turned away in mortification, stuttering his apologies as he exited the bathroom closing the door behind himself. "I'm sorry, I d-d-didn't realize…just wanted to make sure you were unharmed. I'll call on you at a better time. Have a nice night Ms. Sookie." he quickly left the house and ran into the surrounding woods where he stood watch over her house from the deep shadows. Now that she had come to the sheriff's attention his job had just become much more difficult, if not impossible. He did not look forward to telling the queen about this disaster of a night. At least if she decided to punish him he would be able to recall the sight of Sookie lounging in the water with her hand between her thighs looking at him with her wide blue eyes. That was a picture that might be able to get him through many hours of torture, and most definitely _would _give him many hours of pleasure.

He hadn't been too eager about seducing a virgin before. He was too accustomed to being at the queen's court surrounded by people with plenty of sensual knowledge, but now he was looking forward to introducing Sookie to passion, and was pleased that he would be the first man to feel her around him. He was even a little disappointed in the knowledge that he knew there was no way the queen would allow him to keep her to himself, but at least he would be the first, the one she would always remember above all others. For the first time since he had received this assignment he was happy about it. His hand dropped down to the front of his trousers rubbing and squeezing as he thought about what she was most likely doing right this second. Maybe she was thinking about him while she touched herself. Since she had had his blood, she most likely _was thinking about him. He reached for his button and nearly ripped it off of his pants when he heard a voice in his ear._

"_You wouldn't be thinking about my bonded while you did that would you?" _


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the little pillow I cry into every time I wake up and realize that it was just a dream and Eric is not really mine.**

**A/N: Sorry this update took so long, RL interfered as it usually does, but here it is and I hope it's good enough to make up for the delay.**

Chapter 7

Sookie jumped out of the tub feeling completely mortified at having been caught in such a revealing position. She put on her night shirt, a white button up shirt she had stolen off of Jason years ago, without taking the time to dry her body off, and wriggled her black cotton booty shorts on over her still dripping legs, then took a moment to brush her hair and fan out the damp ends. Grabbing the door knob, she paused for a long, very long, moment, to take a deep fortifying breath of steamy air trying to gather her nerves back together before she faced the possibility of seeing Bill again. Not that she wouldn't be happy to never ever have to see again after what he had just caught her at, but she had no way of knowing whether he was still there or had left. Her face flushed with mortification of having to be polite to the man who had just seen her doing…that and she briefly wished for a hole to open up and swallow her whole. No sooner than she had thought and a hole _did _open up in the floor under her feet.

She tumbled into the kitchen below, landing heavily on her bottom with a painful crack and a loud curse. She then immediately slapped her hands over her mouth and looked around towards the door to the living room, praying that she would be cut just _one _lousy break in this godawful night and Bill was not standing there having witnessed yet another shameful action of hers. Not to mention the hole that had already disappeared from her ceiling. _That _would be difficult to explain away. Someone must have heard her prayers, and Bill thankfully appeared to have left before he could witness her unexplainable and ungainly landing and her loud unladylike curse.

Then she heard loud laughter coming from the back door and spun around to see Eric standing on her back porch watching her through the screen door, and enjoying himself _ far _too much. Screw ladylike. Gran would just have to forgive her from her spot in heaven because Sookie had lost all ability to be polite and ladylike after this absolute horror of a night. "What the fuck?! You didn't get hurt enough already tonight Viking?"

Eric enjoyed seeing the jump he had startled out of the so called southern gentleman and it showed clearly in the smirk he gave the pitiful creature. His opinion of Compton was at an all time low after catching him skulking in the woods and touching himself while looking at Sookie's house. He had seen him exit the back door as if the hounds of hell were on his heels, so he obviously had an invitation, so why the hell was he pleasuring himself in the woods?

Eric knew if he had an invitation into the she devils house, there was no way he would have to resort to self pleasure. He would find his pleasure with her lush body, her plump lips and her warm hands, not his own calloused palm. This only proved Compton to be less of a vampire, less of a _man, _than Eric had given him credit for. Not that he had given him much credit in the first place.

"Y…your bonded? She is not your bonded, she was not gone long enough and she would never agree to tying herself to you that way!" Bill sputtered shoving his hands in his pocket to hide his shameful state of arousal.

"And yet, we have already shared one mutual exchange and I have come for the next. Only to find you lurking on her property fondling yourself like a prepubescent boy." Eric sneered at his underling. "Why are you here?" he demanded.

Bill stood straighter and actually found the balls to look Eric in the eye. "I am watching over her in case she needs any help." he said firmly.

"Is she in danger?" Eric asked, his hackles rising despite the fact that he knew damn well she could protect herself. Did Bill know about more than her telepathy? If he did then there was no doubt Sunbeam _was _in danger. Compton had long been a lackey for the queen and had greatly enjoyed court life. He was already suspicious of the man's sudden desire to mainstream and now he felt almost certain that he was really here for Sookie. But how much did they know?

"No. But Sookie must be protected." Bill spoke firmly, still looking Eric in the eye.

"Well that sounds like an edict, but it couldn't be, or I would know of it." Eric said in a smooth, dangerous voice. It better not be an edict, he thought. There would be hell to pay if his authority had been subverted in such a way. It only made it that much worse that it may have been Bill sent to work around him and keep him in the dark about his own area.

"There is no edict." Bill said, a little too quickly, a little too forcefully. "Sookie is special. To me." He was lying. Eric had no doubt.

"Not anymore." Eric said. "Leave. Go back to your home and do not let me come across you or your scent on Ms. Stackhouse's property again. This is an order from your Sheriff.

"There is a killer in Bon Temps. I only wanted to ensure that she is safe." Bill said, hoping to change Eric's mind.

"I am here now. I will keep her safe from any killers… or perverts." He looked pointedly at Bill. "Now leave."

Bill turned to leave but that didn't prevent Eric from hearing him mutter softly, "Who will protect her from you?" Fortunately for Compton, Eric was more eager to see Sookie again than he was to send Compton to his final death, so he decided to let the comment slide and walked up to the door he had just seen Bill rush out of.

The door was open, leaving only a flimsy construction of aluminum and screen netting between Sookie and the dangers of the night. Well, that and a magical barrier against uninvited vampires. He reached the door just in time to see his soon to be pet and possibly future childe fall through the…ceiling?…and land on her tail bone with a loud crack that may have signified a fracture, and an even louder curse that he would have almost thought her too polite and innocent to know if he had not already gone a couple of rounds with her.

She slapped her hands over her mouth as if to shove the unsavory word back inside and looked around, obviously horrified that someone may have heard her. Eric could not help himself. For the first time in more centuries than he cared to count, he found himself overcome by an emotion other than rage or bloodlust. He laughed harder than he could remember _ever _laughing. When she swore again and asked if he hadn't already been hurt enough tonight, he could only laugh harder. His knees were feeling weak and he placed one hand against the side of her house in an effort to prop himself up but soon found himself sinking to his knees, still over come by laughter. He could feel her growing anger but was helpless to stop laughing until the anger he could feel running through the bond from her abruptly ended and was replaced by an intense jolt of pain that was accompanied by a muffled scream that forced its way past her tightly gritted teeth. He flashed to his feet and crashed into the invisible barrier separating him from her.

He could see no discernible threat, but that did nothing to calm the primitive need he felt to get to her, to protect her and rip apart whatever was causing her so much pain. Just before he was going to begin ripping her walls down just as he'd threatened to do to his own home earlier this night she tried to rise up from her undignified sprawl and they were both assaulted by the same intense pain as before, Eric to a much lesser extent than Sookie. His raging need to tear and rend apart that which was hurting her faded into anger aimed at the very one he felt such a vehement need to protect. _She _was the one causing herself the pain. He had been right about the sound he'd heard when she'd landed on the floor, a spectacle which, though he still didn't understand, he suspected would make him chuckle at the memory for a long while to come, she had undoubtedly fractured a bone in her delectable behind when she'd landed.

"Invite me in, Lover. I can help you with the pain." he said softly, holding back his curiosity and anger and not letting it show in his voice.

"Do I look stupid enough to give you an all access pass to my house Viking?" she demanded the pain straining her voice and making it nearly unrecognizable. "And don't call me Lover! I am not and will never be your lover!"

"Yes you will." he stated confidently. "In the meantime, I only wish to assist you and take away your pain. Invite me in."

Sookie had to wonder if he really believed that repeating his insane demands would change her mind. She began to slowly and carefully scoot herself closer to her kitchen table, jaw clenched tightly in an effort to hide the pain this caused her. "How would you take the pain away, Eric? Force more of your blood down my throat and make the bond even stronger? I don't think so, I'd rather suffer until morning comes and I can go to a hospital."

"You have fractured your tail bone Lover. The hospital will not be able to take the pain away and you will suffer for weeks if you choose not to accept my aid. It will be difficult for you to move around and this is not a good time for you to be weakened or vulnerable in any way. I am fairly certain that Bill's sudden presence in your town is related to your powers rather than his old homestead as he claims." He warned her, watching her painful maneuvering as she reached the table and reached up to grab the edge, his jaw clenched tightly against the useless need to help her and take this pain away from her. Why the hell did he feel such a strong need to protect her? He didn't even feel this protective of his childe, never had, and Sookie was obviously more capable of protecting herself than Pam had been before he turned her.

"Yes I know. He is here to acquire me for his queen. He's supposed to seduce me and bond me to him then take me to her and hand me over so she can make use of my telepathy." she stated calmly, grimacing as she slowly and painfully pulled herself to her feet praying that the old kitchen table was stronger than it looked and wouldn't collapse or tilt under her weight. Her prayers, she soon realized as the table began a slow tilt towards her just as she was halfway up and still not able to support her own weight. Damn her pride, there was no way she was going to land on her ass again if she could help it. "Eric come in!" she spat out quickly. Thank goodness for vampire speed, as soon as the barrier was gone, he was at her side, keeping her from falling again and helping her the rest of the way up.

He had many questions for her as to where her information had come from, and he was already planning the many ways he could punish Bill, without letting him know that Eric was aware that he had been sent by Sophie Ann, but his first and most urgent priority, much to his own irritation, was to help this little woman who had so shocked him and his perception of the world in so many different ways in one short night. "You will take my blood then, to keep you strong and protect you from the Queen's machinations."

"Who will protect me from you, then?" she asked him in an unconscious echo of Bill's question just a short while ago. She was desperately trying to ignore how hard the arms holding her up were, and how chiseled his chest looked when she had glimpsed it earlier through the scorch and burnt areas she had left on his shirt.

He couldn't help the small grin that came to his mouth and became a smirk when he scented the arousal rising off her. "You have already proven yourself more than capable of protecting yourself from me Lover." he reminded her, giving in to the urge and scooping her up in his arms, holding her soft heat close to his body.

"Then what's to stop me from protecting myself from your queen?" she asked.

"Not just my Queen." he pointed out. "There is also Bill," he grinned widely when she snorted at the thought of Bill being a danger to her, "and her guard, as well as all the vampires in her retinue and her Queendom that she may wish to call to the cause." He carried her to her living room, looking around at the flowered and feminine home, knowing immediately that she had not been the one to decorate. "Do you really want them all to know about your…other abilities? At least as my bonded, she will have to go through me and make a request to use you for her own purposes. Surely that is better than being made a slave for her to use whenever and however she wishes. After all, you already know that you are more than capable of handling me." he pointed out, trying to reason with her again, despite her failure to see reason once already this night.

"Or I could not be your slave either, and continue to live my life belonging to myself as I always have." she countered.

"You will be hunted until you are either caught or dead." he informed her succinctly. This was something she had already realized and accepted, but she _really _didn't want to be bonded to Eric. She was honest with herself about the intense attraction she felt for the large vampire, and knew that her physical reaction alone gave him more power over her than she was comfortable with already. She really didn't want to give him any more power over her than he already had, but her choices were limited and she knew it. "Drink from me so you will feel no more pain." he demanded again standing over her couch and feeling reluctant to put her down. He not only did not want to be parted from her warmth, he did not want her to feel the pain that would undoubtedly come if he were to place her on the couch.

"Could you just please put me down and give me today to think about your offer?" she said tiredly briefly allowing her head to rest on his chest. "Come back to tonight and I will have either an answer or a counter offer to renew negotiations with, I just… I need some time to think. My entire life is going to change in ways that I don't want and I need some time to think before I make any decisions." He could feel the emotional exhaustion that was crashing down on her and he almost regretted being a large part of the reason for how helpless she was suddenly feeling. Good thing he was a vampire and didn't feel regret.

"If I leave now you will be in pain all day. I do not want you to suffer for so long." he was shocked that this was an honest statement, and not just something he said to get his own way. "If you take a little blood and I do not drink from you making it a mutual exchange it will heal you without strengthening the bond. You will think more clearly if you are not in pain." He tried once more to reason with her, although he was not sure that her thinking processes could ever really be described as clear or reasonable based on what he had seen of her so far.

She sighed and lifted her head, looking into his eyes as if she would find the truthfulness of his words there. Apparently satisfied by whatever she thought she saw there she nodded her head. "Fine. But only a little and you better keep your fangs away from me."

"Hold on to my neck Lover." he ordered her, waiting until her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck before he removed the arm that supported her back and brought his wrist to his mouth biting down and offering it to her. He didn't bother suppressing his moan when he felt her pull lightly and heard her swallow his blood, or his disappointed groan when she stopped after one small mouthful. He held her for a few more minutes, feeling her heal through the bond, then he wrapped one arm tightly around her back, pressing her chest into his, and released her legs, savoring the sensation of her entire body pressing against his. He held her in place for a drawn out moment looking into her eyes and smelling her increasing arousal as she glanced fleetingly and repeatedly down to his lips, so close to hers that he could taste her breath. He resisted the strong urge to kiss her, devour her mouth and claim her lips as his own and slowly let her slide down his body, reveling in the sensation of her soft curves dragging against his hard angles and sliding down the length of his aching erection. Her feet landed on the floor after a long aching moment during which her eyes glazed over with lust and her body nearly overrode her desire for some time alone. His head dipped towards hers, bringing their lips closer and she tilted her head back, granting him access. That was what he had wanted to see so he quickly stepped back, barely managing to suppress a chuckle when she stumbled a little at the sudden loss of his support. "I will see tonight then Lover and we will finish this conversation." With those words he used his vampire speed to leave her house. Once outside he rose into the air an began to fly to his home, but not before he heard her mumbled words.

"Stupid sexy vampire with his stupid super speed."

He didn't bother suppressing his chuckle this time, he was too pleased with himself for leaving her wanting more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I just borrow them and make them do what I want every now and then.**

Chapter 8

Sookie tried to get some sleep after the departure of her late night Viking visitor, but between the two infusions of powerful vampire blood and the worried circling swirl of her thoughts she soon admitted defeat and gave it up as a lost cause, turning instead to the ultimate stress relief- cleaning. With her energized and now freakishly strong body attending to the mindless tasks of scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, laundry and dishes her mind was free to wander and chew on all the new complications in her life. Eric had left at around three in the morning, granting her a whole day to decide her entire future.

Because he was sooo generous.

Around seven she decided that she would need a lot more information if she wanted to make the right decision so she called her grandfather and began to tell him about her night. She got no further than telling him she had gone to Fangtasia before he hung up on her and immediately popped into her living room. After he finished giving her hell for being foolish enough to not only leave, alone, with a vampire but then exponentially compounding on her stupidity by going into a vampire bar- had she been _listening _all those times he warned her about how fairy blood affected vampires?-they settled in for a long conversation during which she asked and answered a lot of uncomfortable questions.

When Niall left her home early in the afternoon she had decided to complete the bond with Eric. Niall had assured her that he was a man-vampire-who was true to his word and would honor the letter if not the spirit of any agreements he made. He had said the Viking was intelligent, crafty and fair, high praise indeed coming from the Fae ruler, especially when it was about his natural enemy. A natural enemy with whom he had worked to their mutual benefit a few times over the centuries in both war and peaceful ventures. Niall reluctantly agreed to let her handle this herself and not step in to let the Viking know who she was related to as a way of warning him to be careful, but only on the condition that Sookie promise to perform the unbinding ritual that Niall assured her they would both survive if Eric treated her wrong or she was hurt or unhappy in the bond. He also warned her to word any agreements she made with him very carefully, mentioning again how crafty he could be at honoring the letter of his agreements if not the spirit. His confidence that Eric would honor any agreement he made even without the ancient magic running through Sookie that would bind them both to the agreement was for some reason, a huge source of reassurance to Sookie and made her feel a lot better about her decision than she might have otherwise.

With the worrying done and nothing left to clean in her now sparkly house she was finally able to get a few hours of sleep before it was time for her to go about the rest of the plans she had made. She dressed in jeans and a halter top with vague and unacknowledged thoughts about avoiding skirts and dresses with 'easy access' for her meeting with Eric, and she put a jacket in her car just in case it got chilly after the sun went down. She wasn't ready to have Eric in her house again just yet, especially not if he wanted to proceed with completing the bond right away, so she planned to beard the lion in his den.

She still had to hours before sunset when she drove to Merlotte's for the first and most unpleasant piece of business she had tonight. The happy smile that wreathed Sam's face when she walked in on her night off hurt her a lot more than she had expected it to. She had assumed for a long time now that they would eventually end up together, ever since she had realized that his feelings for her ran a lot deeper than those of a boss or a friend, and she had been eager for the chance to date a man whose every thought was not crystal clear to her. Sam was an attractive man with a tight compact body that she had dreamed about on more than one occasion, but she had been waiting for him to come to her and make the first move. She made sure he was aware of her telepathy in the hope that it would encourage him to tell her about his own extra ability but he never did. He never came to her with his secret and he never pursued her, which left her hanging in limbo, practicing patience. She cursed herself now for going along with the ideas Gran had instilled in her that the man should do the chasing. If she had only got over that old fashioned belief she may not be in such an impossible situation now. Looking into his happy smile and sparkling blue eyes she could feel a piece of her heart breaking under the weight of losing such a long held, cherished dream. She tried to smile back at him, but her effort must have been lacking based on the way his smile was replaced with a look of concern.

"Can I talk to you in your office, Sam?" she asked him before he could ask her what was wrong. She really didn't want to have this conversation in front of everyone. She didn't want to have this conversation at all really, but she had lost all the options she'd had just yesterday and the right thing to do would be to get all this difficult cutting of ties out of the way as soon as possible. No matter how much it hurt her to do so, she knew how strongly he felt about her and it would only hurt him if she dragged this out any longer than necessary.

'_It's about damn time those two figured out they belong together.' _she 'heard' her friend Tara thinking. Tears burned in the back of her eyes and she hoped desperately that her outspoken friend wouldn't confront her about it here in front of everyone. She didn't count on getting her wish in this case though, Tara was not the patient type and would want answers as soon as she found out that Sookie was handing in her two weeks notice.

"What's wrong, Cher?" Sam asked as soon as she closed the door behind her. He gestured for her to sit in the chair in front of his desk and she forced her heavy feet to carry her across the office.

"I have to give you my notice Sam. I won't be able to work for you anymore." The tears that she was trying so hard to hold in spilled over her lashes and ran down her cheeks in a steady flow, advertising the pain she was feeling. "I'll try my best to stay for two weeks, but I can't make any promises that I'll be able to do it. Everything's changing so quickly, Sam!" she tried really hard but was unable to keep her sobs inside and she covered her face and started sobbing and bawling. She could feel Sam's panic but couldn't stop crying to reassure him. Then his muscular warm arms wrapped around her and he was offering her the reassurance she wanted to give him.

"Shhh, don't cry, Cher. Whatever it is we can figure it out. I'll help you fix it, whatever it is. I'll do anything it takes, just please, stop crying and tell me what's going on." She threw herself into his warm embrace, knocking him back onto the floor with her on top of him. She didn't even notice the suggestiveness of their position, only wanting the comfort of his strong arms and the warm feelings of love and concern she could feel pouring off of him. She buried her face into his chest and curled her body around him when he sat up, still holding her and pulled her onto his lap, rubbing her back and murmuring reassurances to her while she cried out all the emotional turmoil she had been through, asking her to talk to him and tell him what was the matter. She couldn't hear his words over her own sobs but the safety of his embrace and the warmth of his cloudy thoughts helped calm her down. As her sobs began to taper off she became aware of the words he was whispering into her hair and she wanted nothing more than to start bawling again. "It's okay baby, we'll work it out, whatever it is, I love you Sookie, please don't cry, let me help you, tell me what's happened. Just talk to me Cher so I can help you."

Of course. _Now _he tells her he loves her, when it's too late. She reluctantly pulled herself out of his arms, still sniffling and trying desperately to hold in the new round of crying that was sitting in her throat, a hard lump that hampered her breathing and kept her from talking. He put a gentle finger under her chin and lifted her face so he could see her to tenderly wipe the tears and snot off of her face. "Oh Sam…" she said with a watery sigh. She didn't know where to go with that. She _did _love him. Maybe not as strongly as he loved her, but she knew that given the chance it could grow into that. But they no longer had that chance and she was going to have to tell him, but she didn't know how. She swallowed the lump in her throat and felt it settle in her chest, right over the heart that felt like it was splintering with the pain of knowing she was about to break this gentle man's heart. "I don't know where to start." she admitted, accepting the hand he offered and letting him pull her to her feet. Instead of seating her in the chair again the way she expected him to do, he pulled her over to the couch and sat down before pulling her onto his lap.

'_She feels so good in my arms. Warm, soft, right. This is where she belongs, where I'm gonna keep her.' _she heard him think clearly. He must be projecting his thoughts to her for her to hear him so clearly and it was just splintering her heart even more. "Start at the beginning," he suggested. "Why do you think you have to quit?" She could hear him hoping that it wasn't because of the way he felt about her and his guilt and self blame helped her pull herself together. She couldn't stand to let him think that any of this was his fault. It was her own string of bad decisions and stupid mistakes that had put her in this situation and she had to make him understand that.

"You know I'm trying to help clear Jason's name right. By…listening?" she referred to her ability, hoping he wouldn't make her elaborate, and waited for his nod. "Well, one of the things I heard was that both Dawn and Maudette had gone to that vampire bar in Shreveport in the weeks before their death. You know the one I mean?" Judging by the way his muscles tensed and his whole body suddenly radiated fear and worry, he must know exactly which one she meant.

"Fangtasia." he said softly looking at a spot on her blouse for a moment and gathering his thoughts before he looked up into her eyes and tucked her hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger on her cheek and then resting his hand on her neck under her hair. "Please tell me you didn't go there Sookie." he pleaded with her.

She looked away from his earnest eyes. "I went there. I met the owner…"

"Northman." he interrupted her. "And now he wants you." Well that was a lot easier than she had expected. She'd always known Sam was smart, but maybe she had underestimated the level of his intelligence after all. She nodded, still unable to meet his eyes. "Well we won't let him have you, Cher." he stated so firmly that for a brief moment she could almost believe it was that simple. "We'll leave, we'll go somewhere else, somewhere where he can't find you and we'll build a new life. Together if you'll have me." He whispered this last part, afraid of her reaction. His hope grew for a moment when she cuddled into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

"It wouldn't work Sam." she told him. "He made me drink his blood and now he can find me, no matter how far I run." she said softly, killing the hope he had felt.

"Oh, Sookie…" he said with his own watery sigh. She looked up and was surprised to see the tears in his eyes. "Why didn't you come to me Cher. I could've helped you get information from there if you needed it so badly, without putting you in that bloodsuckers crosshairs. He's the most powerful vampire in this area, you should have never gone there."

"How could you have helped me Sam? Bill took me because he's a vampire and knows about these things but how would you know?" She knew there was something more than human about Sam, that much was clear from his thought patterns, but she had never figured out exactly what he was, and she was hoping he would enlighten her now.

I…I'm not exactly human myself Sookie." he admitted softly, looking away and unable to meet her eyes and take the chance of seeing the fear or disgust he was sure would be there. "There's more supernatural creatures in this world than just vampires, but the other's are still in hiding."

"I know that Sam." she said gripping his chin lightly in her small hand and turning his head so she could see his face. "I know all about the other things in this world, and I know that you're one of them, I just don't know exactly _what _you are. I haven't been able to figure it out. I'm not exactly human either, in case you didn't figure that out already Sam Merlotte." she said. He looked at her in shock and sputtered for a moment.

"Wh…why…what…why didn't you say something before, if you knew, Sookie?" he asked roughly, anger seeping out in his voice, despite his best efforts to keep it in.

"I told you I could hear other people's thoughts Sam. That's not exactly a human skill you know. I was waiting for you to tell me yourself Sam. I wanted you to trust me with the truth, whatever it is, but you never did, and now it's too late." There was more than a little anger in her own voice and she jumped up and away from his comforting embrace.

"Too late for what, Sookie?" he asked softly, afraid he already knew.

"Too late for _us _Sam." she nearly shouted. "I wanted to tell you everything about myself and to know about you. You're the first man I've ever met that I could actually be with in a romantic way and I wanted that! I've wanted it for so long, but I was waiting for you to trust me, and you never did and now it doesn't matter because it's too late! I'm gonna have to bond with one insane vampire who's kind of trustworthy to stay out of the clutches of another insane vampire who's not, and I'll never be able to be with you now! I'll never get to find out what kind of hybrid supernatural babies we could have made together because you never said any damn thing! Instead, I'm going to be stuck in a relationship with a damn scary creature that I just met and don't really like, so don't you get angry with me Sam Merlotte! I'm angry with you for not-"

He cut off her loud tirade by pulling her into his arms and slamming her against his chest, sealing her mouth with a kiss that she had fantasized about many time before. She had always imagined that their first kiss would be soft and loving, shared after a lovely date with dinner and dancing. She had also assumed that it would be the first of many, hoped that it would be the first of a lifetime of kisses. Instead it was desperate and angry and passionate and most likely the only one they would ever share. She threw herself into it, grabbing onto him tightly and kissing back with all the passion of her anger and fear and heartbreak, welcoming the heat that built up in her stomach and moaning into his mouth when the hands that were gripping her arms so tightly ran down her back, cupping her ass and pulling her into his body, rubbing the bulge straining his zipper against her hip. He kept one arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her close to him while the other moved up her body, roughly massaging her breast and pulling a moan from deep in her chest. He released her lips and peppered her jaw neck and ears with kisses licks and nibbles while his fingers manipulated her diamond hard nipple through the thin material of her halter top. Her head fell back and she tangled her fingers in his golden red hair holding him close while she reveled in the feelings he was pulling from her.

She had pleasured herself plenty, but the night before was the first time a man's actual hands had pulled those sensations from her body, and that had been quickly ruined when she realized that he had forced a bond on her while she was unconscious. There was nothing like that to ruin this for her though, as long as she didn't let herself think about how impossible it now was for her to live any of the dreams she'd had about Sam. She was determined to enjoy this while she could, and she was definitely enjoying it!

He slid the hand that was pressing her into him under the back of her shirt, tickling the soft skin of her back with the light touches of his roughened hands massaging her back as he pushed her soft, intoxicating body closer to his. He moaned loudly and nipped lightly at the tendon connecting her shoulder to her neck when she lifted one leg and wrapped it around his waist bringing his erection into contact with the denim covering her heated core. She echoed his moan and pressed her foot into the well shaped behind she had admired so many times to press him into her. The leg holding her up nearly buckled at the sensation that ripped through her body when he rubbed against her through their jeans. Not wanting anything to break the contact he had craved for so long now, Sam cupped her ass with both hands and picked her up, chuckling lightly against her lips when she squealed softly. She wrapped both legs around his waist and nipped at his bottom lip in retaliation for his laughter while he carried her across the office and sat her on his desk, placing her at the perfect height for them to continue causing the friction they were enjoying so much.

Sookie scooted closer to the edge of the desk tightening her legs around his waist and pushing him against her core while Sam continued to kiss the breath and brains out of her while his fingers frantically worked at the clasp holding her halter top together at the back of her neck. When it finally released he separated their upper bodies while still grinding himself against her and pulled her shirt down leaning back so he could take in the full beauty of her breasts. "So beautiful!" he gasped before lowering his head and taking one rosy peak into his mouth sucking gently at first but increasing pressure with her encouraging moans. He used one hand to stimulate her other nipple and moved his other hand to the button on her jeans, wanting a better look and a taste of the origin of the intoxicating scent that was filling his office and his head. She leaned back a little to give him better access to her fly but jumped up off the desk with a guilty start, shoving him away from her when there was a loud, insistent knock on the door.

"You better get out here Sam before Terry loses it even more than he already has!" Tara yelled. Sookie could hear her hope that they were doing exactly what they were doing and her regret at the necessary interruption and her already flushed face turned an even darker shade of red as she turned away from Sam and refastened her halter top around her neck. Sam grabbed her hands and pulled her back into his arms, placing his lips on her forehead in a lingering caress when she wouldn't look up at him and grant him access to his mouth.

"This isn't over Sookie." he whispered.

"It has to be over Sam. It never should have happened." she said softly, finally looking up into his eyes. She winced a little when she saw the pain her words had caused him, but she couldn't take them back. It was true. They had missed their chance and lost it when Eric had taken her options away the night before. He gave her one last sweet kiss and she couldn't not respond to him, tangling her tongue with his and wrapping her arms around his neck. Oh, if only one of them had said something sooner! They slowly ended the kiss and he rested his forehead against hers.

"Sit at the bar, Cher, have a drink so we can talk about this, okay?" he pleaded. She looked over his shoulder at the clock on his wall and nodded hesitantly.

"Okay, but I have to leave in twenty minutes if I don't want _him _showing up here looking for me. I'd rather meet him at his bar than have to take him back to my house again." Sam didn't even try to hide his wince at the implication that Eric had already been to her house, but he did bite back the urge to demand every detail from her, stepping away from her and smoothing his hair down before he led her to the door and out into the bar. He held a stool out for her to sit on before he circled the bar and washed his hands in preparation of relieving the beleaguered vet from the action out front and sending him back to the kitchen where he felt most comfortable. He sent Tara to work the other end of the busy bar so he could talk to Sookie. They both ignored the speculative, searching looks Tara was giving them.

"Why do you have to quit, Sookie? Did he tell you to?" he asked.

"No, but he does want me to work for him, reading his employees at the bar and whatever other businesses he has. The Queen of Louisiana," she barely restrained a giggle at the title. The idea of Louisiana having a queen had always made her want to giggle. Sam noticed and didn't even try to hide his smile. "The queen already knows about me. That's why Bill came to Bon Temps, he was supposed to seduce me, bind me to him and then give me to his queen. He doesn't know that I'm aware of his plans though." Sam's eyes narrowed as he thought murderously about stakes and silver and sunlight. "She's going to want me to read people for her, and the more I think about it, I'd rather have her have to go through Eric for my services than think she owns me herself. I've been reassured that he honors his word once it is given, and given all my options, I hate to say it, but he seems to be the best one."

"Who told you these lies, Sookie?" Sam demanded angrily as he mixed a weak gin and tonic for her. Sookie was grateful that no one was close enough to hear their whispered conversation, she knew she was about to sound nuts if she had to explain too much to Sam. "You can't trust vampires. They're sneaky lying manipulators that don't give a damn about human's rights or feelings. He will use you in any way he wants to, no matter what pretty lies he tells you now."

"First, I'm _not _human, Sam. Second, I _can _defend myself, even against vampires and Eric Northman was made painfully aware of that fact already, and third, he didn't tell me _any _pretty lies. He told me he wants to own me and he will, that I will be his pet and he will train me in how to pleasure him the way he likes." Oops. Judging by the mottled purple color that was creeping up Sam's neck and taking over his face, maybe she had said too much. "All I need to do is negotiate a deal with him that meets my requirements and he will have no choice but to meet the terms that we agree to, whether he is honorable or not, he will be bound by powers that neither of you have any idea about." Not another case of word vomit! Whatever it was that was making her suddenly eager to blab her long held secrets to every man she met, she needed to figure out how to put an end to it. At least this time it was someone she knew and trusted completely.

Sam looked at her doubtfully. It was a look that she had never seen on his face before and she didn't care for seeing it there now. It was the patented 'There-goes-crazy-Sookie' look that she had been receiving from her close minded neighbors her entire life. Fortunately for the both of them, and possibly for the sake of his bar as well, he didn't pursue that line of thought, instead asking again who it was that told her she could trust the Sheriff. He looked as though he wanted to hurt the person who would give her that type of advice. It was a little difficult for her to not laugh at the thought of Sam, whatever he was, going up against her Grandfather in a fight. Poor Sam wouldn't have a chance, no matter what he was, she was sure that it had nothing on Fae magic.

"My grandfather told me he could be trusted to a certain extent." she answered curtly, then waited for the expected reaction of disbelief and anger.

She wasn't disappointed.

He slammed the glass he was cleaning down on the bar causing it to crack up the side and drawing the attention of everyone in the bar. There were a few moments of silence broken only by the sound of the jukebox playing a country song while everyone watched and waited to see what would happen next. When nothing happened they all turned back to their food and drinks while keeping one eye on the bartender and off duty barmaid. "Your grandfather died when you were still a child Cher." he pointed out harshly. "Are you getting messages from the beyond now?"

"In a way." she answered honestly. After all, Niall did live in a realm beyond this one. "The man you're thinking of was Gran's husband, but he wasn't my grandfather. And if you tell anyone," she leaned in close and looked him in the eye as she delivered her warning, wanting him to see how serious she was, "the things that I'm telling you now, if you, in any way, besmirch my Grandma's reputation I will cause you more pain than you ever dreamed possible. Do you understand me, Sam Merlotte?"

He looked momentarily taken aback by her vehemence but recovered quickly and went back to wiping down the bar and trying to look busy. "Then who is your grandfather Cher? Who gave you the foolish advice to risk you life and your freedom by trusting Eric Northman?" he asked in the same vehement tone she had used on him. Neither of them were fully aware of the curious interest of everyone in the bar their heated whispers were attracting.

"If I tell you, can never, ever speak of this again. Not even to me unless I bring it up first." she told the agitated man. By this time he had given up all pretense of being busy and was leaning over the bar, same as she was. They were so close that their noses were almost touching as they carried out their private conversation in a very public place. "And you have to finally tell me what the hell you are." she added on, figuring it was only fair that he share his biggest secret with her if she told him hers. He nodded curtly, tickling her forehead a little when his hair flopped down to cover his eyes in that adorable way she had always loved and landed on her bangs instead. It was enough for her. She trusted Sam with her life, otherwise she would never tell him this secret. This secret could cost her her life if it fell into the wrong hands.

"Niall Brigant." she said softly, hoping that that would be enough, he would know who she was talking about and she wouldn't have to explain any further. He jerked upright and stared at her in shock.

They were still oblivious to the excited whispers and speculations of their audience. Even while his stunned mind tried to wrap itself around this new information, a part of him knew that it made a lot more sense than his previous belief that she was a human with a mental enhancement. But Fae royalty? He never would have expected that. Then again, it would help explain the extreme attraction that both her and her brother Jason seemed to have for the opposite sex, and sometimes the same sex. She was watching the emotions fly rapidly across his face and monitoring the vague flutter of thoughts from him that she could catch carefully, and she didn't bother trying to hide her relief when she felt his acceptance. "Your turn now, Sam." she said, gently reminding him of his part of their agreement.

"I'm a shifter." he said softly, monitoring her reaction just as closely as she had monitored his. She nodded and smiled softly. It was what she'd already suspected but the confirmation was still nice. Something else clicked into place for her when he smiled at her.

"Dean? The collie?" she asked him about the dog that had taken to hanging around her property at night ever since Gran's murder. He nodded. "Thank you." she said simply, wishing she could better express her gratitude for his protection. After all, the Rattray's had already proven that if she was caught unaware, she could be severely hurt by a human. She glanced at the neon clock behind the bar. It was time to drive to Shreveport. "I need to leave now. I'd like to get to Fangtasia before Bill comes looking for me."

Which only reminded him of the many other things he wanted to ask her about. "Can I come see you tomorrow?" he asked as she stood up. She thought about it for a moment. She might not be home tomorrow, depending on the terms she was able to get Eric to agree to.

"I'll call you." she promised when he came around the bar to give her a fierce hug. She hugged him just as tightly, both of them knowing that neither one really wanted to let go. She finally made herself pull back and she gave him one last kiss on the cheek before she walked away from the future she'd thought was hers and towards the future she did not want.

**A/N: Don't hate me for the citrus between her and Sam, but it had to be done. I needed there to be a romantic rival for her affections and I just don't like Bill enough to let him have any Sookie loving of any kind. Besides, Sam is such a sweetheart, and he's totally hot to boot.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. AB is the lucky one here.**

Chapter 9

Sookie pulled into the Fangtasia parking lot despite that every instinct she had was screaming for her to turn around and go home. She was upset with herself for her sudden onset of nerves and irrational fear. She'd made her decision and had felt…well, not good, but she had accepted it as the best choice in a bunch of bad choices, so why did she suddenly feel like she was missing something important? Something that she should know, and not knowing could be dangerous? She shook off the creepy feeling as something akin to the cold feet brides get before their wedding. She must have bonding jitters.

She got out, determined to see this thing through bravely, and walked towards the doors of Fangtasia. Before she even had a chance to wonder if she should go to the back of the line she saw Pam waving her over. "Anyone who looks and smells as sweet as you do does not need to wait in line with the vermin." Pam said as she walked up to her. As if to prove her point, she leaned into Sookie's personal space and inhaled deeply. Then jerked away and with an almost astonished look on her face. Sookie couldn't help but feel impressed at the heights her manicured eyebrows could reach, but the slow grin that crossed Pam's face brought her jitters back in full force. "I've know you for less than twenty four hours and already you are being far too generous by providing me with so much amusement." she said cryptically before calling another vampire to guard the door and check ID's. Sookie was sure that she heard Pam mutter something about 'not wanting to miss this show' as she led her to the bar with a hand on Sookie's back. The feeling that she was missing something important grew stronger and Sookie ordered a Gin and tonic in hopes of quelling the heebie jeebies she could feel building up inside her bones. Longshadow gave her a look of disbelief as he set her drink down in front of her. The odd look only increased the creeped factor Sookie was feeling and she quickly downed the drink and ordered another before turning on her barstool to search for Eric.

"He will be out shortly." Pam said scooting in between Sookie and the stool next to her to lean on the bar. She wanted front seats for this show. Sookie shot her a dirty look, feeling decidedly uncomfortable with the fact that the female vampire was still crowding her personal space.

"Well, okay then. It's really not necessary for you to keep me company while I'm waiting. I'm sure you have more interesting things you'd rather be doing." Sookie said before reaching for and quickly gulping the new drink Longshadow set in front of her. She was pleased to see he was already mixing her a third drink.

"No. I'm certain there is no where else I'd rather be right now." Pam said with a smile that could only be described as predatory. Pam looked at something over Sookie's shoulder and her smile widened before she _finally _gave Sookie some breathing room. Sookie followed the direction of her eyes and was struck breathless for a moment by the sight of the man towering over the crowd of fangbangers that somehow managed to crowd around him while simultaneously clearing a path for him. His long hair was pulled back in an intricate braid that was tied back with a leather strip, and the style seemed to accentuate his strong masculine features. He was wearing a dark blue silk button up shirt over what she assumed was his customary black wife beater and the claw hanging from his necklace nestled comfortably in the hollow between his clavicles. She had a brief thought, wondering what the skin underneath that claw would taste like before burying it in her subconscious. The same subconscious that was still screaming unfounded alarms at her, warning her of danger. Something about the whole package, the way his silk shirt flowed around him and served to brighten the blue of his eyes, making the already striking feature even more striking was making her stomach swoop and floop and she was _so _regretting the three gin and tonics she'd already drunk. A regret which did nothing at all to stop her from gulping down the one that had appeared on the bar in front of her.

Eric spotted her immediately and smirked at the dumbstruck way she was staring at him. It was precisely the effect he had been hoping for when he got ready that night. The anticipation he'd been feeling from his childe combined with the eagerness she didn't even try to conceal warned him that he would not be pleased for long. Nothing pleased his childe more than seeing her maker 'lose his cool' as she so charmingly phrased it. He was determined that she would not get the satisfaction tonight. The fact that Sookie had come to him rather than waiting for him to come to her spoke volumes. He was sure that she had decided to accept the bond and as he was getting what he wanted,, he was sure that whatever irritation Pam had come up with would be too minor to lessen his pleasure. He was certain that there would be no losing of his cool on this night.

Then he was close enough to smell his soon to be bonded and knew that his certainty was unfounded.

Pam saw the look on his face when he took in the scents layered on Sookie and she rapidly moved away from the telepath, her head lowered in a submissive posture that she very rarely adopted. She had correctly predicted that Eric would be upset but she had greatly underestimated just _how _upset he would be. The immediate loss of all veneers of civility that he so carefully cultivated during times of peace brought her rapidly up to speed however, and she knew she would be too busy worrying about survival and minimization of the coming damages to take any pleasure in his loss of control. It might even be a smart idea to not tease him about this later. Not that she always followed the smart path. She knew it would start any second now…

Ahh. There it was, a rumbling growl that was so low it was felt in the bones more than it was heard. All the vampires in the bar tensed up and watched the Sheriff closely. The fangbangers, unnerved by the unmistakable signs of fear shown by the powerful being they worshipped began to edge towards the exits. Pam saw a chance to move herself even further from the danger zone that was Sookie and minimize the damage she was sure would happen. She began to herd the vermin out the door, praying that she would succeed in preventing the PR nightmare that could so easily happen. Longshadow came out from behind the bar and aided her efforts while the other vampires left quickly. Nobody wanted to be there when the Northman gave in to the feral instincts that were obviously driving him. For once, the fangbangers showed some intelligence and quickly complied, exiting with a speed that surprised Pam coming from a herd of humans. Maybe they weren't all as clueless and suicidal as she had thought if they could move this quickly when in the room with certain death.

Pam took one last look back into the bar as she followed the last fangbangers out the door. Her maker had reached the telepath and was gripping her by the shoulders, holding her a few inches off the floor as he growled at her, sniffing around her neck and the collar of her shirt, no doubt taking in the scent of shifter so he could track the fool who would touch something he had already claimed as his. The little blond woman was twisting and struggling in his grip trying to slap at him but unable to due to the tight grip he had on her arms. As the door closed behind Pam, she could almost have sworn that Sookie was glowing.

No matter. Regardless of how incredibly curious she was, her survival meant more, and to go back in to investigate that odd blue light that seemed to emanate from the telepath could very well cost her her life. She would just have to pester him into telling her after he was no longer in such a murderous frame of mind.

Inside the bar, Sookie was indeed glowing a bright blue. Eric had quit running his nose over her skin, inhaling her scent when his flesh began to smoke and burn but he seemed completely unaware of the fact that his hands were burning, the flesh melting away leaving his skeletal fingers digging into her soft arms. "You let another man touch you." he growled.

Sookie knew that her life was in serious danger right now, and she also had a good idea why he had taken in the scent lingering on her skin so deeply. She would have to think quickly and clearly to get both herself and Sam out of this situation with their lives intact. Unfortunately thinking quickly usually affected her ability to think clearly. She needed time to get her thoughts in order and that was an impossibility with him so close to her. Her skin was still burning and tingling where he had been smelling her so deeply across her collarbone, his cool breath huffing out across her skin and making her tingle in totally unexpected places. Definitely something she would have to think about later, the way this…this, creature could turn her on when he was most definitely threatening her very existence. But now was not the time for thought. Now was the time for action.

With that thought thick, bright bolts of lightening arced through the blue glow surrounding her body and threw him across the bar. Eric tried to hold on to her even as he was flying through the air but his efforts only resulted in Sookie being dropped in mid flight. He landed on a table taking it out with his large body and scattering the chairs surrounding it. Sookie landed on her feet, but not having cat like reflexes, her ankle twisted and she dropped down, landing heavily and painfully on her hip. The jolt of pain caused her to lose the focus necessary to maintain her protective aura of blue light and gave Eric, who _did _have cat like reflexes the chance he needed to take the advantage.

Before the chairs he'd scattered had even settled where they'd been thrown by his landing, he had already sprung up to his feet and rushed over to the foolish fairy who was still moaning in pain. He popped her on the temple. It was a light tap compared to what he was capable of, but it was hard enough to knock her unconscious immediately. This pleased Eric immensely, as it gave him enough time to restrain her while he decided exactly what he wanted to do with her.

Eric stood next to the bed in the playroom hidden deep in the bowels of his club, admiring the sight of the beautiful blonde, almost human laying in the center of the custom made double king sized bed. He especially enjoyed the contrast of her blonde locks laying across the black silk of the sheets. He should have taken the time to strip her clothes off of her, but he had been worried that she would awaken quickly thanks to the two infusions of his powerful blood. He must have hit her harder than he'd thought however, it had been thirty minutes now and she wasn't stirring yet. He was also feeling…weird about the goose egg on her temple. It was a dark blue in color and seemed to continue growing, every time his eyes were drawn back to the knot he felt an odd twisting in his gut. He didn't know exactly what caused it, but he most definitely did not like the sensation. He had already decided that he wanted to possess her more than he wanted to kill her and so her continued incapacitation was beginning to worry him. It would be best all the way around if he fed her some more of his blood, he decided. It would strengthen the bond that much more and heal her quickly so he could get on with the interrogation she had earned herself by coming to him smelling of another man's arousal and saliva. He had taken the time to use his nose to ascertain just how far she had gone with the male shifter who would not live long after this night. He had the man's scent now and would have no trouble tracking him down. Since the smell of his saliva went no farther than her lush breasts, he would not torture the man for _too _long. He made no such promises for Sookie though.

He sat next to her and bit into his wrist while opening her mouth and tilting her head back with his other hand but when he tried to place his bleeding wrist to her mouth it was stopped by a shield similar to the one that kept him out of his own house when she had claimed it as hers. No matter how much force he used to move his wound closer to her he could not.

Fine, he decided, he would just have to drip the blood into her mouth from a few inches above, but when he tried that the blood landed on an invisible surface and slid down the air around her face landing on the bed sheets next to her head and staining a few strands of her hair. What the hell?

Sookie began to stir and moan softly, a sound that he found altogether too intriguing. She opened her eyes and looked around warily. She was in a windowless room lit by sporadically placed candles and laying on a way too large bed covered with black silk sheets. And she was chained to the bed.

That pushy a-hole had done it again. And come on, black silk sheets? How disgustingly stereotypical could he be? She was rather disappointed after the Egyptian cotton he'd placed her on the night before. She began to pull against the chains hoping the manacles were loose but gave that effort up quickly when her movements caused her halter top to slither against the silk and climb up her stomach, baring her flesh a little more with every move she made.

That's when she noticed the big a-hole himself standing next to the bed and giving her a look that somehow managed to express frustration, irritation and confusion all at once. Or maybe she was feeling thee emotions he had and his face was as stoic as always. When she saw his rapidly healing wrist and understood the reason behind his conflicting emotions she couldn't help herself. It was a stupid thing to do when she was in such a vulnerable position but there was no way she could stop her reaction. She laughed at him.

She laughed hard and she laughed long, just as he had done on her porch the night before. Of course _his _laughter hadn't been edged with a heavy dose of hysteria as hers was, but she enjoyed the moment of hilarity all the same. He watched her laughing and hated that some part of him enjoyed the sound and the uninhibited look of enjoyment on her face. What was it about this utterly infuriating, completely gorgeous, and far too confident almost human that called to him? In all his thousand years of existence he had never let another who had thwarted and insulted and _laughed _at him live so long, yet here he was, watching her and helplessly enjoying the sight of her consumed by laughter, even though that laughter was undoubtedly aimed at him. She had come to him, covered in the smell of another man, a filthy shifter no less, that had put his hands and mouth on her and she had the gall to laugh at him. She was in a prone position, chained to his bed and held captive and helpless before him, and she _laughed. _And it only made him want her all the more.

"Tried to force more blood in me and couldn't do it, could ya?" she gasped as her maniacal and increasingly disturbing laughter began to taper off.

"You were unconscious and were not waking up as quickly as you should have." Since when did he feel the need to explain himself to anyone? He didn't even do that for the magister, so why was he doing so for her? He would be better off if he just killed her now. "How did you maintain a shield while you were unconscious?" he demanded instead.

"Untie me and I'll tell you." she responded glaring at him. Then she mentally slapped herself for opening up negotiations while she was still chained up. Way to start from a position of strength idiot.

"Tell me, and you may live to see morning." he answered her opening offer coldly.

"Kill me and you'll never have the answers to any of your questions." she countered. No need to let him in on the fact that he would be unable to really kill her. As volatile as their meetings had been thus far, she had no doubt that that truth would come to light soon enough.

"I'm sure the answers are somewhere out there waiting to be found." he responded with false confidence.

She was really happy to note that she knew his confidence was false, especially since it meant he would know her confidence was all too real. She smiled up at him smugly. "Not in this realm they're not."

He knew that she wasn't lying, and it infuriated him. He _really _should just kill her, but she knew one thing all too well. He wanted answers too badly to do so. He would have to wait to kill her, and since he was already putting it off, he may as well wait until he had gotten everything he wanted from her delectable little body rather than settling for her blood only. "So I will just have to wait until I find another like you."

"Not to sound egotistical, but I really am one of a kind honey, and you know it. Have you ever come across anything like me before in a thousand years of wandering the earth?"

She was right, and he had to admit that to himself, even if it was both disconcerting and infuriating that she could be so smug while chained to his bed and helpless before him. He should have stripped her clothes off before he chained her down, this was apparently going to be a long night and he should have provided himself with the lovely view.

**A/N: Sorry that this took so long to come out, rl interferes yet again. Let me know what you think about it, likes and dislikes please. After all, I am an admitted raging review whore. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. I also resent having to repeat this with every chapter I post. It breaks my heart all over again every time I have to admit that Eric doesn't belong to me and I am just playing in AB and CH's sandbox with him. At least I get to make him get dirty though.**

Chapter 10

Sookie was starting to get really irritated. Her arm and leg muscles were starting to ache from being stretched out into such an awkward position and the insane vampire bane of her life was just looking at her with a blank expression. Crazy a-hole was probably thinking about sex. That was usually the type of thoughts she found behind such an idiotic expression on human men, and even though he wasn't human, she happened to know that he had working man parts. He'd been pressing them against her while he sniffed all over her so rudely earlier.

"You can wipe those nasty thoughts right out of your head vampire. You are the last thing I want to have sex with." she said in as haughty of a voice as she could manage under the circumstances..

His eyebrow shot up into the stratosphere. She really had to learn how to do that. "I thought you could not read vampire minds." he said in that soft, silky, dangerous voice of his that really shouldn't cause that heavy, hot feeling in her gut.

"I don't need telepathy to know when a man's thinking about sex." she said with a pointed look at his strained zipper. Naturally he didn't have the decency to look at all embarrassed, he just smirked at her. Then he frowned. She didn't like the frown. Frowns did not bode well when they were on insane, powerful, crazy strong vampires who had you chained to a bed.

"I suppose a certain shifter would be at the top of the list of things you do want to have sex with?" he said. That soft, silky, dangerous voice wasn't making her feel hot or heavy anymore. Now it was just pissing her off.

"Well, he definitely comes way ahead of you on my list." she said without thinking. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them. Now was not the best time to be poking this particular bear. No matter how much fun it was. He proved that point by instantly leaping on top of her, his face right above hers, noses almost touching, his body pressing against hers from chest to toes. Well, her toes to his calves anyway. He _was _huge after all.

"He will not have you little fairy. You belong to me, and your body knows this, even if your mind refuses to acknowledge it. Your body, your blood, your innocence, all belong to me. You. Are. Mine." he said softly, threateningly. "You _will _yield to me. You want me as badly as I want you and I am willing to wait for you to beg me. You _will _beg."

"Yeah, you're right about one thing. My body does want you, I have no problem admitting to that despite your low opinion of my mind." she admitted to him, trying to keep her voice as cool and collected as possible. "That's where you're wrong though. I am _not_ some weak minded little girl that would rather live in denial than admit that I'm attracted to you. I have a strong mind and a stronger will. I will not yield to you. Ever. It's mighty presumptuous of you to assume that I would ever give myself to a man, or vampire, or creature that thinks it's okay to choke me and beat me into submission just because he's not strong minded enough to accept that I'm more powerful than he expected, no matter how attractive you are. God forbid you should deal with me honestly or honorably. No, you have to be sneaky and underhanded because you know you can't face me as an equal. You're not strong enough."

Poke.

He jumped off of the bed and back to his feet, glaring down at the willful, stubborn foolish being who would risk her life by saying he had no honor. She must have a death wish. Unfortunately for her, he was not in the mood to accommodate her in any way, even if she did deserve to die for saying he was weaker than her. He pulled the key to her manacles out of his pocket and freed her. He would not have her thinking he was weak just because he preferred to bargain from a position of power. He could bargain with her on even grounds and still come out ahead. He had a thousand years of experience behind him and she didn't have a chance in hell of outsmarting him and getting the better end of any deal they agreed to. He was smarter, stronger, sneakier and was dealing from a position of power whether she was chained up or not, and he would show her the truth.

"You are free now. Do you feel any better?" he asked after she had stood up from the bed and was rubbing her wrists. He made a point of crowding into her space, wanting to keep her from feeling too relaxed. There were other ways of making her feel vulnerable, and he not only knew them all, he had no compunctions about using them.

"I'll feel better once we've worked this all out and reached an agreement that I can live with." she said stepping away from him quickly, feeling all too aware of the width of his shoulders and the coolness of his unnecessary breath feathering across her face. "So why don't you tell me the high points of what you want out of this arrangement, I'll tell you what I want and we can try to find some middle ground." she suggested, taking a few deep breaths and trying to retain control of her overactive libido. Niall had warned her that this was a side effect of taking vampire blood, but she had not expected that it would turn her into such a raging slut, which is exactly how she felt right now. She had come here after a hot make out session with the man she had always pictured herself with, and now she was lusting after the crazy vampire who had irrevocably changed, and in many ways, ruined the life she had built. She should be _angry _at Eric, not wondering how his skin would taste and his muscles would flex underneath her touch.

Eric watched her moving away from him, feeling smug at the lust she was fighting against so desperately. So uselessly. He was a part of her now and she would crave him as he craved her, no matter how hard she fought it. He could be patient and wait for her to beg for him. She _would _beg, of this he had no doubt. "You know what I want, Sookie. I want _you._ I want your body, your blood, your talent, your mind, your heart, your love. Everything that you are will be mine to use as I see fit."

She snorted again. He would really have to break her of that disgusting and demeaning habit. "You already bargained for and gained my blood and use of my talent. You might even get my body, thanks to the underhanded way you forced your blood on me," she couldn't help but feel smug and push that feeling at him when he looked shocked at her knowledge of the effects of his blood, "but you will never have my mind or my heart. Those are mine to give or withhold, and I will never give them to someone like you. You can't force someone or bargain with someone for their love, and you can't glamour me into believing I love you, so you may as well as give up on that idea right away, because there is no way I will ever give my love to someone who show's me no respect and only wants to use me."

He used his freaky vampire speed and seemed to appear in front of her, his body pressing close to hers and his hands on her waist pushing her close to his erection and dammit all to hell, his proximity and scent made her stomach tighten up, her heart beat faster, her breathing hitch and her panties dampen. Niall had said his blood would heighten her libido, why hadn't he warned her that it would make her want Eric specifically? "You will love me, Sunbeam. You won't want to, and I'm sure you will fight it with everything you have, but you will give me your heart anyway, and with your heart, I will hold your mind as well. You will be mine and you will enjoy my usage of you, you will beg for more." She gulped loudly, betraying her nervousness and he was unable to hold his smug chuckle inside.

Sookie was actually grateful for that chuckle, even though it made her cheeks heat up with mortification, it snapped her back to reality and out of the lust induced haze she had been floating in for a moment. Indignation was good for that. "Keep dreaming vampire." she said derisively, enjoying his frown. "Just because you've made sure that I'm unnaturally attracted to you doesn't mean I'll ever give in to you. I can tell you right now that sex is off the table. I will not give my body to someone I cannot love, blood bond or not. I'd rather die a virgin."

"Which is exactly what you may do then." he said coldly moving back into her personal space and backing her up into the wall. "No other man will touch my bonded. I should kill you now just for coming here to me smelling like another." He placed one large hand on her chest, just above the almost indecent neckline of her halter top and catalogued the way her breath hitched and her heart seemed to skip a beat before jolting into a racing rythym before he slowly slid his hand up to wrap around her slender throat. He applied no pressure, keeping his grip light and loose, not hindering her airways or bloodflow in any way but the threat was still apparent and real. "As my bonded, you should never allow another male of any species to touch you for any reason." he warned.

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm not your bonded, now isn't it?" she said working hard to keep her tone light and dismissive. "And if you keep up with the death threats I may be tempted to just leave our deal as it is now, in which case I will never choose to be your bonded and you will never be able to force a bond on me. It would be a shame though if that's the way things went tonight. After all, I came here with the attention of accepting a bond with you and working out all the details that would go along with that. I'm well aware that _if _we _were _bonded, no other man would be allowed to touch me. That I would essentially belong to you and you would have the right to kill anyone who poached on your 'property'." she said the hated word with a sneer. "But seeing as how that's probably not going to happen now, maybe I should just go back to what I was doing before I came here so foolishly thinking that I would accept your offer."

Poke.

His grip tightened reflexively at the thought of her with some damned shifter spreading his saliva over her suntouched skin and causing the intoxicating smell of arousal to rise from between her thighs. The smell that still lingered when she'd shown up here tonight and hightened every time he approached her, ever time he threatened or glared at her, and infuriatingly enough, every time she said something that made him feel homicidal. He forced himself to loosen the steadily tightening grip he had on her throat and moved his hand down, tracing her collarbone up to her shoulder and down her arm. His instincts were screaming at him to throw her down and claim her body in every way, roughly and painfully, forcing her to accept that she was his, but he kept a tight rein on his muscles, keeping his caresses soft, barely touching her silky skin. He moved his hand back up her arm and then down her front, over the neckline of her shirt and down her front, tracing the luscious curve of her breast and barely brushing against her nipple before letting his hand settle on the curve of her hip, digging his fingers into her soft flesh knowing that _this _grip would leave a bruise in the shape of his hand, and pulling her roughly up against his throbbing erection. "You will not leave here." he stated firmly. "I will never allow you to go to another man's arms, no matter how much power you believe you have."

"What makes you think you can stop me from leaving now any more than you could last night?" she said softly, breathlessly, fighting against the surge of pure desire his actions aroused in her.

"Negotiations have already begun, have they not?" he said smugly. "If I understood last nights events correctly you will not be able to 'pop' out of here until they are finished." She tried to pull away from him, get far enough from his cool grip and intoxicating smell to think again but she only succeeded in smacking into the wall behind her. He followed, pressing his hard muscles into her soft curves, pressing the advantage he knew her arousal gave him. "I will not finish negotiations until you agree that you are mine." he whispered softly, nuzzling his face into her hair and blowing against her neck, enjoying the shiver and goosebumps he elicited from her. "I will have your body and your soul, if not your mind and heart before I let you leave my presence." He dragged his cool tongue along the heated pulsing of her jugular and lightly nipped her under her ear. She moaned softly, trying to give no outward signs of the effect he was having on her, but unable to control the feeling coursing through her body. "You will be screaming my name and begging me to give you my cock before I am through, pleading for the release that only I can give you. When I am through with you, you will crave me the way I crave you. You will yearn for the feel of my cock driving into you, pounding you into oblivion, my tongue licking you clean, savoring every last drop of honey I coax out of your tight little virgin cunt. I will own you and every inch of your body will know this to be so." he promiised her. His words, which should have shocked and offended her, had the opposite effect. Her head fell back against the wall and her hips ground into him, pushing his erection into her soft belly and wringing moans of pleasure from the both of them. He released his grip on her curves and slid both of his hands around to cup her ass and lift her up while still pushing her into him. The feel of her soft heat dragging up his hard body drove him closer to the brink than he would have thought it possible for him to be with so little stimulation. Her body responded mindlessly to his cues now, her legs wrapping automatically around his waist and pressing her heated core into his impressive erection. He slid her body up and down, giving them both the friction they needed. "Like I said," he growled into her ear, "You are mine to use as I see fit."

Her head snapped up from it's prone position against the wall he was pinning her too and she glared at him. Damn vampire! She'd been enjoying herself until he had to go and get possessive and smug on her, dragging her mind back to reality and away from the wonderful reactions he was causing in her body. "Obviously we are unable to agree on any amendments to our current agreement and will have to revisit negotiations at another time." she ground out through her clenched teeth. "Seeing as how you weren't smart enough to press your advantage and just had to go and run your mouth, I think we're finished for tonight." With that said, she gathered her scattered focus and popped out of his arms and into the main room of the bar. She was too distracted to do any long distance or calculated teleporting and that was the best she could do. "Stupid sexy vampire thinks he can use my hormones to control me!" she muttered stomping her foot and spinning around to get her bearings and locate the front door.

Eric fell into the wall when she suddenly disappeared from his arms. He snarled loudly, infuriated that she had gotten away from him yet again, certain that she was going to return to the shifter whose scent he had mostly eradicated and positive that he would rather kill her himself before he would allow that to happen. He immediately heard her soft landing on the dance floor above him and her frustrated and angry muttering, so he used his vampire speed to race up the stairs and seemed to appear right next to her just as she spun around in a tight circle looking for the door, causing her to bump her nose into his chest and cry out in surprise and fear. He hated that he would have to do this after she had derided him earlier for his tactics, but she had left him no choice. If she insisted on using her fairy powers to 'pop' away from him, then it was only fair that he use his vampire powers of superior speed and strength to stop her. He tapped her on the temple one more time, almost feeling bad for the pain he knew this would cause, then took her unconscious body back down to his playroom. This time he used his iron chains and manacles to restrain her as well as weaken her enough to disable her fairy abilities. When he was satisfied with the sight before him he pierced his finger with his fang and gently rubbed his blood into the disturbingly colored and once again swelling goose egg on her temple. This would in no way further the establishment of the blood bond he wanted with her, but it would soak into the bruise and heal the undoubtedly painful knot he'd given her. He resolved not to think about why he would care about easing her pain and sat on the side of the bed, watching her face and waiting for her to regain consciousness yet again so he could teach her the proper deference he should be shown.

With the rapid healing he had provided her with it did not take long before her eyelashes fluttered and lifted revealing her dark angry eyes to his hungry gaze. "You really don't learn, do you?" she said angrily before she tried to pop out of there again. He saw body shimmer a little bit and tensed up, ready to chase her down yet again if she succeeded, but after the initial shimmer nothing else happened. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. He grinned smugly, pleased that he had been right about the way the iron would effect her. "Well shit." she said softly.

**A/N: Sorry guys, seems like these two like the whole scenario with Sookie tied up to the bed and seemingly helpless. Eric especially likes it now that she really _is _helpless and can't use her fairy abilities to escape him and he tells me that I had better hurry it up with the next chapter, he is very eager to get on wtih the negotiations and her training.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Eric. And now that I've been reminded of that oh-so-sad fact, I'm going to crawl into a corner and cry.

Chapter 11

Sookie glared up at the infuriatingly smug vampire who had somehow figured out how to mitigate her fairy powers. Keeping the heat of her anger in her eyes and the obvious tension of her muscles, she split her mind off, running on another train of thought. A train that explored deep inside of herself, searching the depths of the power she inherited from her Fae relatives. It was there, and there was nothing she could sense wrong with it or weakening it, so it wasn't a spell that worked internally that was blocking her from accessing her power. It must be something external. As she went to turn her exploration to her surroundings she was forcefully reminded of the stupid a-hole vampire who thought force and violence was the answer to all of the world's problems when he leaned down, bringing his face within a hairsbreadth of her own. His completely unnecessary breath was wafting gently across her mouth, the scent of him scattering her thoughts a little.

"Problems, Sunbeam?" he asked solicitously. She narrowed her eyes at him and opened her mouth to give him an earful, but right then she became painfully aware of exactly how he had limited her powers. Her wrists were begining to burn in a way that she identified immediately as the poisoning that was a direct result of prolonged contact with iron. He knew she was part Fae and still shackled her with iron! The absolute ego of the man to think that he would ever win her over, body, mind heart, or soul with tactics like this!

"Yeah, I've got big problems with you, Vampire! You better get me out of these shackles really damn quick or I promise I will leave with matching scars!" He frowned and pulled away from her at the mention of scars. What the hell was this crazy creature talking about, scars? He had seen no marks or imperfections on her delectable body.

Then he became aware of a scent he was _very _familiar with. The smell of burning flesh was unmistakable. He looked over to her shackles and saw streamers of smoke rising from the edges of the thick iron shackles. He had assumed that she would be safe when there was no immediate reaction to the touch of iron, and had only hoped that it would be enough to limit her ability to use her powers, but now he realized that she was not immune thanks to her human and _other _blood, only slightly less allergic. He became aware of her pain through his blood flowing in her veins while he stared dumbly at the cause of that pain. The pain that he had caused. His stomach twisted in unfamiliar ways. Ways that he did not like.

He quickly undid the shackles and stared in shock at the bands of grossly burned flesh that circled both of her wrists. It was similar to the way acid would eat flesh and it was a gruesome sight. A sight that he had been the cause of many times in his existence. He had gloried in the damage and the pain he was causing at those times, but this time his stomach twisted tighter than before and his chest ached. If this was an example of emotions, he wanted nothing to do with it.

Sookie switched her heated glare from the infuriating vampire to the wounds that were burning her so badly. It felt like thousands of tiny embers burning deep into her flesh, all the way down to the bone. It was so bad that she was shocked that she didn't see bone. Not that what she did see was much better. It looked like thick bands of festering flesh, infected with a flesh eating virus. The wounds were bubbling and smoking and the removal of the irons had done nothing to ease the burning pain. She had no doubt that she wouldn't be able to fully access her fairy powers until she managed to cure the iron poisoning she was suffering from. Thank goodness her Fae powers weren't the only ones she had.

She jumped up off the bed, twisting in uncomfortable ways to avoid any contact with Eric, and walked to the other side of the room. He stood and stepped towards her, concerned against his wishes, but she turned and shot him such a heated glare he was surprised he didn't immediately burst into flames. When she reached a corner she turned and gave him another glare, warning him to stay the hell back. He held his hands up in front of him, trying to communicate that he meant no harm. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she looked down at her wrists and dismissed him completely from her mind, focusing entirely on the fiery bands marking her wrists.

She reached into herself and accessed her _other _powers, the powers that she still didn't fully understand beyond the fact that they seemed limitless, unlike the fairy powers. She had already discovered that she could heal others, but had never had the need to turn that healing power on herself. She might have after the Rattrays had been stopped from kicking and beating her, but Bill had been there so quickly with his bleeding wrist against her mouth that she hadn't had enough time to think through her options. Something she regretted as soon as she came to with him licking the wound on her forehead. Which made her wonder now, would that count as a mutual exchange? God she hoped not. The last thing she needed right now was a bond to yet another vampire. Especially Bill with his shady and heartless agenda.

Pushing all exraneous thoughts from her mind with more effort than she felt she could afford to expend at this moment, she slowly sank down to the ground as all the strength left her muscles and was redirected elsewhere. The corner she had wedged herself into was the only thing keeping her upright. Her head was hanging on her boneless neck and her eyes rolled up slightly to keep her wounds in sight.

Eric stepped towards her, alarmed at the weakness she was showing. As much as he had done to weaken her and put her at a disadvantage, he now found, to his great consternation, that he did not like to see this maddening woman, who seemed to find joy in angering him, show weakness. She had always projected strength and power, even when she was at a clear disadvantage, such as being chained to his bed. It bothered him now to see her slumped in the corner, appearing unconscious aside from her open eyes focused intently on the wounds that _he _had caused. And there was that sickening twisting sensation in his gut again. He got no more than two steps towards her when her eyes flared with a bright, electric blue light. A light that stopped him in his tracks with the memory of the pain she had caused him with a light of that color. It spread out from her eyes, lightening up and becoming less of an electric color the further it was from her eyes, until it reached the festering bubbling wounds on her wrists where it flared momentarily with the electric blue and then became a painfully bright, white light that circled her wrists around the poisoned flesh and spread slightlly out from there along the intricate tracing of her veins, encompassing all of the poison, form where it originally entered her system to where it had managed to travel so far. He vaguely recalled that white was a healing color and was relieved at the thought that she could fix his mistake. Then he was just angry that he had thought he had made a mistake.

He had been confident in all of his decisions for over a thousand years, and had never regretted his actions, but he could no longer deny that the twisting in his gut and the ache in his chest did not come from Sookie, but rather came from regret. He hated that he felt that way, hated that he felt _anything._ He had spurned emotions ever since he had woken as a vampire, recognizing quickly that they would weaken him in the dark, violent world that he now inhabited, but this little part human, part fairy, part _something, _pulled emotions from him without even trying to and he did not like it at all. He probably should have just drained her the first night while she was unconscious and saved himself the trouble. If he was smart he would drain her now and save himself any of the future trouble that he had no doubt her continued existence would give him. He stepped towards her with that very intent on his mind when the white light flared out from her body and filled the room, knocking him back into the far wall. He was unaware of his hard impact with the wall. He was knocked unconscious as soon as the light touched him.

Sookie looked up from her completely healed wrists, staring at the unconscious vampire from under her lashes. The look on her face was primitive, and if he had been conscious and seen the way she was looking at him, he would have recognized the look on her face. It was the look of a predator assessing it's next prey.

**A/N: Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. I can't say enough how sorry I am for the extremely long wait between updates. There's been illness, my own and that of children, my own and like my own, death of a loved one, and a hectic schedule interfering with my love of writing and playing with Eric. There shouldn't be any other long waits like this one again though, barring any other personal catastrophes. (Knock on wood!) Hopefully this story hasn't been forgotten and my readers will forgive me.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Eric came into consciousness the same way he had done every evening for more than a thousand years now. Immediately and fully aware of his surroundings and the fact that it was not right after sunset as it should be, but was rather just a few hours away from sunrise. It took a few more seconds to remember what had put him in the unfamiliar position of regaining consciousness-with a fucking headache no less! He searched his immediate surroundings for the little fairy bitch that had done this to him but found no signs of her presence in the basement of his bar. Well...the fact that she foolishly did not take advantage of his...temporary weakness...might be enough to keep him from punishing her _too _much when he tracked her down.

He stood and then became aware of the splatter of blood on the opposite wall. It made a messy almost V shape dripping down the wall and it was still rather fresh. It was Sookie's blood. The hot sensation rising from his gut through his chest and into his brain was not something he could recognise so he ignored it and searched for his blood, using it to track her down. She was hurt and bleeding and he needed to make sure she was alright. Then he needed to kill what the fuck ever had somehow gotten into his inner sanctum and caused her damage before taking her. There was no she could have gotten herself out of here, not with that much of her delectable blood dripping gruesomely down his wall.

He closed his eyes to better search for that thread of light that was the bond he had begun with her but was disturbed to realise that he couldn't grasp hold of it. It was still there, but it was a lot dimmer than it had been. It was no longer the tangible path that he could follow to her location and he was further disturbed to realise that it was dimming more even as he tried to grasp it.

He quickly dropped that plan to track her and instead began to search the air for her scent as well as the scent of whatever had hurt her. He could only find her scent, still infuriatingly mixed with that soon to be dead shifter. But it seemed off somehow. Not as sweet but somehow even more tempting. Hot and spicy almost tingling on his taste buds. He ran up to the bar following the scent and was shocked to find her sitting behind the bar drinking a glass of...he scented the air more deeply...tequila. She was sitting up ramrod straight with no signs of the weakness that he felt sure she must be feeling after such a drastic loss of blood as was evidenced downstairs. As he walked cautiously towards her he felt for the still dimming light inside that was his blood inside her. It was almost gone, something that shouldn't have been able to happen unless she was dying, but here she sat pouring herself another shot of tequila and knocking it back like a pro before she finally looked up and cooly acknowledged his presence.

"Viking." she greeted with a tilt of her head. "I only stuck around to let you know that the agreement we reached has been breached and so is now null and void."

What the fuck was she on about now? Who breached it? He knew he hadn't. How could he? He was unconscious!

"As you may have already noticed, the beginning of our bond is almost completely dissolved. Despite the possibility I now have of escaping you, I find myself somewhat reluctant to leave the area of my home and the people that I love. I am still needed here in Louisiana, and so am willing to open new negotiations with you. Do you find this agreeable?" she looked at him just as cooly as she had spoken, loving the look on his face. It was a mix of confusion, frustration, anger, and desire. And happily, underneath all of that and almost completely hidden she could see fear. She didn't know what the fear was for but that didn't make her any less glad to see it.

"How have cut the bond? What did you do?" he demanded.

"That is not something I am going to share with you Viking. Are you willing to open negotiations with me or should I look elsewhere?" she said, keeping her voice cool and downing another shot of tequila. She knew she was doing damn good at looking and sounding unaffected by his answer, but inside she was a mess of confusion. She didn't want to make any kind of a deal with this unmitigated asshole, but she trusted her Grandfather, and he had said that Eric was probably the most trustworthy vampire she was going to find in her area. So part of her hoped that he was willing to negotiate. On the other hand, her Grandma didn't raise no fools and she knew that this time around she was going to have to be extremely careful and detailed in the final agreement if she wanted to avoid any more of his abusive nature and she knew she'd probably be better off going to Texas and finding the other vampire her Grandfather had spoken of. Eric's maker, Godric.

"Where else do you think you could possible look to find someone older and stronger than me little fairy? I am the oldest vampire in Louisiana." he said smugly.

She wanted to point out that he was the oldest in America, and certainly not the oldest in the world. Hell, he wasn't even the most trustworthy vampire in America. She wanted to rub his face in what she had done while he was unconscious but frankly she had had enough of his volatile temper and had no desire to deal with it again tonight. The tequila she was drinking was keeping her calm enough to hide the changes that had occurred in her, as well as the confusionsadnessterror those changes had caused, but she couldn't count on that to continue if she had to defend herself against his insanity again and she _really _ didn't want to clue him in to the new situation just yet. If ever. "Are you willing to open negotiations?" she asked calmly. If he couldn't give her a straight answer this time she was leaving. She had plans to make, defenses to erect and alliances she would need to forge.

He cocked an eyebrow and decided to go along with whatever game she was playing. Clearly he wouldn't be getting any answers from her as long as she was still focused on this foolish negotiation she wanted. "Yes. I am willing to open negotiations."

"Fine. We've already established that you desire use of my telepathy, access to my blood and body, and completion of a bond with me. Is this correct?"

"I also desire your love, respect and obedience, your...submission to me." he responded smoothly. She snorted at him. Again! "As well you to never make that noise at me again. It is very rude and I do not care for it. You should show me the respect I deserve."

"By waiting for you to wake and offering to open negotiations with you I have already shown you more respect than you deserve." she snipped. He opened his mouth to respond and she lifted her hand in the universal gesture of stop, or talk-to-the-hand, as this clearly was not a stop-in-the-name-of-love situation. "I am willing to offer my telepathy for a small fee, and to swear my fealty to your area, not to you and I will make that clear when I take the vow. With the vow in place the cost for jobs using my telepathy in your area would be just enough to cover costs for the time it takes to complete the job. For outside jobs I will expect to make a profit. A large profit for that matter as I seriously doubt my skills are easily acquired. I refuse to offer you my blood or body but I will be willing to revisit the issue of a blood bond at a later date if you promise to keep anything other than my telepathy that you might find out about me a secret and if our business is agreeable to both of us." she offered hoping that the business talk would distract him from his rant, or that her refusal of anything physical at all with him would throw him off his game long enough for her to negotiate in her favor.

"You're blood and body are the things I most require from this deal. Why would I negotiate with you and not get what I want?" he asked haughtily.

"Because that's a deal breaker for me. If you insist that any agreement must include those points than negotiations are closed." she informed him, feeling rather proud of herself for how even her voice was. Her back began to burn and she could feel a tingle in her skull alerting her that it was time for another shot of tequila. Eric watched her down the double shot and decided that if he could just keep her here and drinking long enough than he would be able to take advantage of her inebriation before finalising the deal.

"I am willing to continue discussing the matter until we reach a conclusion that is agreeable to both of us." he responded calmly while taking the bottle of her bar and pouring another shot for her. A triple shot this time. She only barely managed to bite back a smirk at his painfully obvious ploy, feeling quite pleased that he was going so easily along with her distraction she took a small sip this time rather than shooting the glass down.

"I feel I should make it clear to you that when I say my body is not on the negotiation table I full mean it. I do not want you to ever touch me without my permission unless it is an issue of safety. This and keeping my secrets is something that will be implicit in any agreement we come to. If you cannot agree with this point than negotiations are over because these are all points that I am not willing to concede." she informed him cooly glad to note that the tequila was doing it's job and the burn in her back was receding. "Do you agree to this point, Viking or shall we consider these negotiations ended?"

He did not like where this was going but she had stated her intentions that he not be allowed to touch her so bluntly that he couldn't see any way out of this that would make him happy. "Why are you so insistent on this point. Surely you must be curious about the pleasure that my touch could bring to you?" he tried to redirect.

She snorted again. He was definitely going to have to make that snorting thing she did a point in their negotiations. It was disrespectful and rude and he wouldn't put up with it on a permanent basis. "So far you have forced you blood on me and stolen mine while molesting me sexually, choked me into unconsciousness, hit me into the same state-twice, locked me up-twice, burned the very flesh from my bones, and threatened further harm to my person. Why would I ever want you to touch me again?" she said seriously.

Well when she put it that way...

"Fine. I am willing to concede that I will not touch you without your permission unless it is a matter of your safety. I still want access to your blood, and I still want a bond with you." he stated his terms.

"I may be willing to consider sharing my blood with you but I will not agree to a bond at this time." she countered.

He really wanted that bond but he was smart and knew that with the ability to touch her while drinking her blood he would be able to quickly change her mind about the bond as well as allowing him to touch her freely. After all, he did have a thousand years of experience in physically pleasing the opposite sex and if he played his cards right he could have her begging for his touch in no time. "I will be willing to forego the bond- for now- as long as I have access to your blood every night." he agreed, not quite succeeding in hiding his smug smirk.

"We are agreed on that point then. You have nightly access to my blood and cannot touch me without permission unless it is a matter of my safety. You cannot force your blood on me again or push me into a bond at this time but at a later date we will re-open negotiations on the possibility of a bond, and you will keep any abilities I may show you beyond my telepathy to yourself. Is this so?"

"It is so." he said simply. He felt that electrical rush of magic again and just barely managed to control his startled reaction to nothing more than a brief widening of his eyes.

Before he could question anything she moved on to the next point. "Now onto the matter of my telepathy. Do you agree to the terms as I stated them before? I will swear fealty to your area and will only require the costs incurred for the time of the job as long as it is for Area Five of Louisiana. For any jobs that are not for Area Five of Louisiana I will expect a hefty profit. Say... two thousand dollars an hour on easy jobs twenty thousand dollars per day on the more difficult ones as well as any expenses for travelling or hotels. I will not include the cost of food but if a certain wardrobe is required then either you or the client shall provide the costs for that. Is this agreeable?"

"Not entirely. My queen will be upset if she has to pay more for your services than I do seeing as I am sworn to serve her." he countered.

"That is not my problem as I will not swear to serve her or you. I will swear fealty to your area for an agreed upon term of, say... one year. At the end of this term, Area Five will have the first chance to negotiate new terms with me and if we cannot come to an agreement then I will negotiate my safety elsewhere. If there is a difference between what Area Five pays for my services and what your queen is willing to pay it is your job to make up the difference as the Sheriff of Area Five."

"I would require that you swear fealty to me. Not my area." he replied controlling the urge to force her into his terms.

"I refuse this point. I will swear fealty to Area Five or I will not swear fealty at all." she said. Damn. There goes her back again. She downed the remainder of the triple shot he had poured for her and quickly poured and drank another double shot.

Eric could not understand it. She had already drank more than half a bottle of his top shelf tequila. With her tiny body and the gin and tonics she had drunk at the beginning of this infuriating night she should be receiving treatment for alcohol poisoning already and here she was outmaneuvering him in negotiations and not even slurring a tiny bit. He did not like the confusion this little almost human was causing him and it was making him angry, a position that he knew was not a good stand to negotiate from.

How had this entire night gone so wrong for him?

"Will you accept the terms as I have stated them or would you like to negotiate the fees?" she asked.

If he stayed vague then he could possibly play around within the terms. "You swear fealty to my area and will receive costs only for jobs concerning my area. For all other jobs I am willing to concede that you receive one thousand an hour or ten thousand a day."

"So you've found a telepath that will work for less than my earlier stated terms?" she asked before pausing to wait for some sign...there it was. The ever so slight thinning of his lips and tightening around his eyes. "Fifteen hundred an hour or fifteen thousand a day, and I swear fealty to Area Five."

So much for his plans to keep the area point vague. He didn't sigh. But it was close. "Agreed."

"Good. Is there anything else we should negotiate?"

"I do not want you to share your blood with any other vampires."

"I will agree to that stipulation."

"You will not share your body with any other male either. Of any species."

"I already told you that the use of my body is not on the negotiation table. If you continue to try to make it a point of negotiation than all agreements we've come to tonight will be voided and I will look elsewhere for my protection." she stated. She may not be able to marry Sam and fulfill her dream of hybrid supernatural babies, but she'd be damned if she let him have any control over her body or sexuality at all. Even if that low growly noise he was making right now was kinda sexy and making her panties wet and her skin tingly.

Shit. Tingles again. She had to wrap this up. "I will agree not to give my virginity to anyone that is not you during the year of our agreement but that it as much control over my body as I am willing to give you. Take it or leave it." she offered. There was plenty more she and Sam could do without breaking that little bit of skin, and she wanted to be able to explore her sexuality after the things she had felt in the last couple of days, even if it was only in a somewhat limited way.

He didn't like it. He knew all about the things that were available without breaking a woman's hymen, having lived through part of the Victorian Age working around that stipulation while working his way through the Queens Court. But he wasn't so blind as to not realize that he could work with this little bit of leeway. And he could also get rid of the competition he already had as well as the competition that might come up later. "I'll agree."

She saw the look of victory in his eyes so she poured another triple shot and drank it slowly, buying time to think about that glint in his eyes. She didn't like it. Why would he suddenly be okay with her doing everything but that one thing after the fit he'd had about Sam's scent on her. Not to mention the way he had taken in that scent so deeply as if to...Oh! Duh! "I will as well as long as you agree to take no actions on anyone for anything I may do with them unless my virginity is taken."

Dammit! Why wasn't the alcohol affecting her thought processes yet? "I also want to know how you cut the bond. This is non negotiable to me. If you will not tell me than we will have no deal at all."

"Fine. I agree to tell you how that happened after we have finalized negotiations and come to an agreement acceptable to the both of us." God she hated having to talk like a damn lawyer, but she was still grateful for the lessons in negotiation she had received now that she could use them without fear coursing through her and messing her up. Thank goodness that all the horrible events of this night led to a renegotiation of their original terms.

"That is agreeable to me."

"Alright then. Let's drink to it." she said. Sharing a drink would be more binding than the handshake she had used the night before.

He only cocked that insufferable eyebrow of his. "I do not drink bottled blood."

She smirked and grabbed a mixed drink glass and a knife from under the bar. His eyebrow went higher and he moved to stop her as she brought the knife to her palm but there was an invisible barrier preventing him from touching her so he could only watch as she sliced her palm open and then made a fist squeezing blood into the glass on the bar. She grabbed another mixed drink glass from under the bar and poured the tequila into it at the same level as his glass of blood then raised her glass as if to toast him. "To the terms we've agreed on." she said.

He raised his eyebrow but matched her movements and touched his glass to hers repeating her toast before they both downed their drinks in one go. "Now that negotiations are over you will tell me how you managed to break the bond so easily."

"Easy he says." she muttered and then she snorted again. Dammit! He forgot to add that into his terms. "I think it would be better if I showed you." she muttered. He nodded and waited. "Um...we should probably go to your nasty little room downstairs. I don't want to...mess up your bar."

"That is fine." he said before reaching out to pick her up and run her downstairs, too eager for answers to wait for her to get there at a human pace. He was forcibly reminded of his deal not to touch her when his hands slid around her still two inches away from her skin. He growled in frustration at the evidence that he really wouldn't be able to bend this rule at all and she laughed. A lot. She laughed so hard tears squeezed out of her eyes and she had to clutch her stomach where it was beginning to ache. He just growled louder which made her laugh harder but when she finally got her self under control she decided to throw him a bone.

"You can touch me long enough to carry me to your nasty little room but no wandering hands." she said.

He grinned at her thinking he could work with that. After all, she hadn't said how he had to hold her and she may have specified that his _hands _couldn't roam but she hadn't said anything about his fingers. He rushed around the bar to stand behind her and noticed that she had dried blood dripping down her back in a shape similar to the V on the wall downstairs rousing his curiosity, but not enough to delay his quickly formed plan.

Sookie gasped and squealed when he wrapped one arm around her chest grasping her breast in his hand and then grabbed right between her legs with the other hand to hoist her up and hold her tightly to his chest. He shifted her just enough so that one of his muscular thighs would slip between her legs with every step and then he began using the fingers she hadn't put any restrictions on, tweaking her nipple with two fingers and stroking the seam between her legs with the other. "Cheater!" she gasped out, trying to fight against the heat that was suddenly running through her whole body. This was a whole different type of burn than the one she had been fighting against with the tequila. This was a burn that she hated just because it felt so good.

He walked around the bar and across the dance floor towards the back room, making certain to keep moving because he was quite sure that if he stood in one place it would go against the concession she had made and he would lose his chance to touch her before he accomplished his goal, but he walked slowly. Slower than she would have done on her own. After all, she hadn't said he could carry her so he could get them there quicker even though he was sure that had been her intention. He began to press and release with the palm that was gripping her pussy, knowing that he was adding a counter to the rhythm of his walking and pushing into her clit. If he could do this right he would be able to bring her off at least once before they reached his 'nasty little room.'

He succeeded. Twice.

Although she had been writhing and moaning during the walk down there, once he set her on her feet in the room she stumbled to lean against the nearest wall and glare at him. "Asshole." she said.

"I told you you would enjoy my touches." he said with a smirk.


End file.
